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‘Yellowstone’ TV: Balancing Acting and Band Modern West Challenged Kevin Costner

The challenges still present themselves, but “Yellowstone”s Kevin Costner detailed at length the work it takes to both tour with a band and continues a busy film career while promoting History Channel’s “Hatfields & McCoys.”

In 2012, History’s six-hour miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” presented a fascinating, complex performance from Kevin Costner as Devil Anse Hatfield. Bearded and grizzled to his core, the future John Dutton said he felt the role – and the history it portrayed – “to his core.”

The project very nearly didn’t happen for the A-Lister, however. At the time, Costner was deep in the throws of touring with his country-rock band, Kevin Costner & The Modern West. His dual life took its toll, too, with Costner having to pull out of directing “Hatfields & McCoys.”

He settled on starring, sans directing, for History Channel’s president and GM, Nancy Dubuc.

“I had music commitments,” Costner clarified a’la Modern West. He was pulling triple duty, even, with “a level of commitment for “Man of Steel” on the table, as well. “So I had to say: ‘I can’t [direct]. Do you still want me as an actor?”

Of course, Dubuc’s answer was yes.

“We had given ourselves a mandate that if we were going to do scripted, we were going to do it in a big way,” Dubuc told THR of securing Costner at the time.

‘Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner: Godfather of the Modern Western

In response, the future “Yellowstone Star” wanted to be sure that the “whole script” would be what made it to television. Costner was a staunch supporter of the project in-full, and wouldn’t settle for a half-ended attempt. Thankfully, Dubuc completely agreed.

In the end, it all worked out tremendously. “Hatfields & McCoys” won all involved – including the “Yellowstone” star, several awards over. Costner even managed to work his band into the fray, writing the theme song for the Western epic with Modern West.

“I got very deep into that character,” he revealed. “I watched documentaries, read books and studied the socioeconomic moments of the Civil War (where the miniseries begins), which really throws a light over everything.”

To this end, “Hatfields & McCoys” executive producer Leslie Grief told THR that Costner “has more integrity and virtue and lack of star ego than anyone I have worked with.”

She would rave of his professionalism, citing his dedication to the script. Costner knew “every line by heart before shooting began”. And as Kevin Costner fans expect, the icon did all of his horse riding stunts himself.

If anything proved troublesome for the star, however, it was a prolonged absence from his family.

“Basically, I went right to Romania, started filming at the end of September and went into December and only had 10 days when I came home because I was just starving [for family love],” the future “Yellowstone” star continued.

Outsider has more on Costner’s grueling 85-day Romania shoot for “Hatfields & McCoys,” too. Continue on to our Kevin Costner Explained How Working Can Leave Him ‘Starving for Family Love’ next.