How Kevin Costner’s Unacceptable Behavior on ‘Yellowstone’ Set Led to Fights and Tears

A new extensive deep-dive into the career controversies of Kevin Costner has opened up some old Yellowstone-shaped wounds, as it has detailed the extent of the fallout of the actor/director’s time working on the Taylor Sheridan hit series, including previously unreported on-set altercations.

The Hollywood Report detailed how Costner and costar Wes Bentley clashed during the filming of Yellowstone Season 5, when Costner allegedly tried to get Bentley to ignore the script provided to them by Sheridan and instead follow his directions for the scene. According to a source who was said to be present during the incident, Bentley flat-out refused to follow Costner’s instruction, saying he had “signed up for a Taylor Sheridan show, not a Kevin Costner production.” The source added:

“Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him. No fists were thrown, but they were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated.”

The same source also claimed that Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton in the Yellowstone franchise, was left in tears following this particular incident, and that the production was halted for a short time as a result. The incident was not the final straw for Costner and his time working on Yellowstone, but it certainly could have been a big part of what happened next and the actor’s exit from the franchise.

Kevin Costner’s Difficult Working Habits

Kevin Costner as Joe Darrow in 'Dragonfly.'

The report does not just stick with events that happened during Costner’s Yellowstone years. It goes on to remind everyone that Costner has a long history of on-set arguments, lawsuits and a list of Hollywood stars who say they will never work with him again. The particular snapshots shared include the fact that the actor’s longtime producing partner was sued by Costner for $15 million, that he has clashed with several of his peers such as Clint Eastwood and Kurt Russell, ignores advice from those with more experience than he does – name check Steven Spielberg – and often rewrites scripts while overruling directors.

Another source, who worked with Costner extensively for a while, commented, “I think he got lost in the ether and to this day, I just don’t get it.”

Several sections of the report claim that many believe Costner’s Oscar success with Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard made him feel untouchable, but several flops like Waterworld and The Postman didn’t so much make him rethink his career path, as force him to step back from directing for a while when studios were no longer willing to give him complete control and limitless budgets.

Flashforward to recent years, and the state of Costner’s Horizon project seems to be a case in point for every past comment about his stubborn and bullish view on making movies. Having pumped millions of his own money into the proposed four-movie saga, the first film was released in 2024 to middling reviews and a dismal box office, and the second chapter is now stuck in limbo with no release date in sight (further burdened by the sexual harassment case brought by one of the movie’s stunt performers). While Costner began work on the third movie, his money ran out, and now none really knows whether it will ever be made or not.