It turns out Kevin Costner’s tense relationship with his fictional son on the hit series Yellowstone was inspired by some off-screen drama.
An insider spilled to The Hollywood Reporter that Yellowstone production briefly shut down after the Oscar and Emmy-award-winning actor, 70, clashed with his co-star Wes Bentley, 47, who plays his adoptive son on the show.
Costner, the Dutton family patriarch, was filming a scene with on-screen siblings played by Bentley and Kelly Reilly when tensions reportedly boiled over on the Utah soundstage.
A source told THR that Costner, who was an executive producer on the show on top of being its main star, was pushing Bentley to ditch showrunner Taylor Sheridan’s script and play the scene how he wanted.
Bentley refused, the insider said, arguing that he signed up for the Sheridan show, not a Costner production.
“Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him,” an eyewitness told the outlet. “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.”
Another witness said Reilly was pushed to tears by the tense moment, and production had to be paused.
“The incident with Wes was the line in the sand. Everything was different after that,” another eyewitness told THR. “Everyone loved Wes and so that really made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from there on out. It got very awkward.”
A spokesperson for Bentley confirmed the scuffle in a statement to the outlet, describing it as a “work-related argument during an emotional and physically tough scene” that was “discussed and resolved.”
Reps for Costner did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Yellowstone concluded its award-winning run in December last year after five seasons. The show started off on a good foot but Costner became an increasingly polarizing figure on set as cast members grew tired of what multiple sources described as his “diva-like” tendencies, according to THR.
Costner told his fans in June 2024 that he was stepping away from the project.
“It was something that really changed me,” he said in a video uploaded to Instagram. “I loved it, and I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
