The Real Reason Kevin Costner Agreed To Star In Yellowstone

In the last few years, Kevin Costner has transformed himself from a big-screen legend into the small-screen star of one of the most watched shows on television – Paramount Network's modern-day Western melodrama Yellowstone. Costner portrays John Dutton, the head of a Montana ranching dynasty whose lusted-after land borders the titular national park and a reservation occupied by indigenous peoples.

While Costner has always brought a certain movie-star swagger to Yellowstone, the series has set itself apart from its competition by taking advantage of its setting to infuse a big-screen verve into its narrative. As it happens, the show's Montana setting was one of the biggest deciding factors for Costner to make his first appearance on a serialized TV series.

Speaking at Deadline's The Contenders Emmys presentation in April 2019, Costner revealed that the reason he agreed to star on Yellowstone had everything to do with its location, which he felt would remind audiences of the beauty of the real world. He said:

"The idea of seeing wide open spaces, when the land was almost like the Garden of Eden [...] To know that places like this still exist in our country, adding drama against its backdrop, and actually understand in the realest terms that the meat that arrives on our table is still coming from somewhere [...] We don't see that enough. I don't think that we get outside enough, if you will."

Yellowstone is hardly Costner's first brush with the wide open spaces of the American West, or even the Western genre for that matter. The actor has frequently saddled up and hit the dusty trails over the course of his career, breaking through in the 1985 actioner Silverado before appearing in 1994's Wyatt Earp and later producing, directing, and starring in 2003's Open Range — a cinematic trifecta that Costner had previously tackled to the tune of two Academy Awards when his wispy, anti-Western drama Dances With Wolves graced screens back in 1990.

In 2017, Costner revealed that he had co-written a 10-hour-long Western project that he'd love to direct for the big or small screen. Speaking with Vulture, he shared:

"I have another Western I've co-written with some people, and I would like to play out the second half of my career directing more. I've constantly given the movies I've found to directors who I thought could do it better, but there are a lot of voices in my ear from my family saying, 'You need to direct the movies you fall in love with.' So I think I will."

As for Yellowstone, the show continues to make stark use of its stunning vistas, which serve as a fascinating backdrop and counterpoint to its modern-day setting. Though Costner hasn't yet helmed an episode of the series, you can go ahead and add it to the list of his memorable Western ventures with the actor bringing as much drama, presence, and majesty to the show as the Montana sky itself. You can also rest assured that Paramount Network brass and series creator Taylor Sheridan will be making full use of both on Yellowstone's already greenlit third season.

Yellowstone's second season took a swing-for-the-fences mentality in terms of its many narrative arcs, and its finale delivered definitive ends to a couple of the series' more compelling storylines with a mix of shootouts, kidnappings, and plenty of mano-a-mano-type fisticuffs. Though producers have already gone on record that season 3 of Yellowstone will likely level off a bit in terms of sub-manic melodrama and unabashed bloodletting, it's a safe bet that the show will still be steeped in searing political and personal dramas for season 3.

What also won't change on Yellowstone season 3 is its stunning, sprawling Montana landscape that Costner and series fans love so much. After all, the Duttons are far from done defending their land from outsiders and competitors and a handful of new faces are coming to Big Sky Country for the new season. These include Lost alum Josh Holloway and The New World star Q'orianka Kilcher.

Season 3 of Yellowstone is currently in production, and is set to premiere on June 17, 2020.

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