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Kevin Costner Isn’t ‘Used to Being a Passenger,’ But Says ‘Yellowstone’s ‘Been a Good Ride’

Hollywood icon Kevin Costner has worked on dozens of films as an actor, director, and producer. His resume needs no introduction, and his legacy is firmly cemented as one of the best to ever do it.

But as far as the Yellowstone script goes, Costner has to wait for direction from showrunner Taylor Sheridan just like everybody else.

“I’m not used to being a passenger, but it has been a good ride,” Costner said to the Hollywood Reporter in a roundtable-style interview from the set of season 5. “You know, [Taylor] has a rhythm for me. And he’s found a rhythm, I feel like, for all of us. There’s no real manipulations with the script and there doesn’t need to be.”

Costner then made an important point about the collaborative nature of great entertainment, especially the trust required from professionals to allow others on the team to do their job.

“You don’t really need a pride of authorship when something’s working,” he elaborated.

Of course, just because something works, doesn’t mean teammates don’t wish to gain a leg up on each other as a bit of friendly rivalry.

“I think there’s a healthy paranoia that somebody here knows more than the other person,” Costner admitted with a laugh when asked about how much the cast knows about future storylines. “I just want to say, I don’t know [more than anyone else].

He then added, “I just don’t, so there’s a healthy paranoia.”

If Taylor Sheridan keeps Oscar-award winner Kevin Costner in the dark, then you know he keeps the entire cast in the dark, too

Clearly Yellowstone has found a method and cadence that works for them, both organizationally and artistically. Not every team operates the exact same way in order to be successful, but all teams follow certain guidelines to achieve success.

Sheridan took a creative risk by keeping his star player in the dark just like everyone else; but the decision has payed off, and the chemistry on set between the actors seems both genuine and palpable.

Kelly Reilly echoed Costner’s sentiments about process and trust.

“[Taylor] has written every episode, every word,” she began. “For five seasons, it’s unbelievable.”

Luke Grimes agreed, pointing out that the Yellowstone method is unusual, but exciting in its way.

“There was a time in the very beginning where [Taylor] would call and be like, ‘I think this is where we’re going to go next year,’” Grimes began. “Or ‘this is what I think might happen.’ And then that stopped happening. And it might have been to just throw me off the track. Because none of that stuff [Taylor teased] ever happened.

“He has a way of preparing you in the way you need to be prepared. I think a lot of times that’s a lot like life. You just don’t know. We really just need them enough in advance to learn our lines,” he laughed.