Kevin Costner was undeniably a Western hero in the film industry, long before he was John Dutton on Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone. Costner pursued the Western genre in the 1990s, directing and starring in the Academy Award-winning film Dancing With Wolves, as well as co-producing and starring in Wyatt Earp, playing the real-life lawman of the same name. When Sheridan was looking to develop Yellowstone into a television series that would kick off a Western renaissance in the industry, Costner, unsurprisingly, was in the running to play the lead character.
Robert Redford Nearly Played John Dutton on HBO
HBO Had One Request for Yellowstone
It’s no secret that Paramount wasn’t the only network looking to develop Yellowstone. Back when he was getting his foot off the ground as a writer (likely before or after making his screenwriting debut with Sicario), Sheridan shopped Yellowstone around, and it eventually landed in HBO’s hands. Sheridan already had Costner in his mind as John, but HBO “didn’t see it,” despite agreeing that the lead needed to be a recognizable Hollywood actor. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan recalled HBO wanted Redford, and if he could get the actor on board, then they’d greenlight the pilot. Redford gained traction in the 1960s, starring in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and later in 1972 in Jeremiah Johnson.
““And the [Senior Vice President] says — and you can’t make this shit up — ‘We meant a Robert Redford type.’”
– Taylor Sheridan
Sheridan took his shot and met the actor at Sundance Film Festival, where Sheridan said Redford agreed. When Sheridan told the good news to HBO, they were stunned… but not in a good way. HBO wanted a “Robert Redford type” but not actually Redford himself. Allegedly, his older age (Redford was around 80 at the time) was a turn-off for HBO. Ironically, Harrison Ford played the co-leading role of Jacob Dutton in the Yellowstone prequel series 1923 in his early 80s, and knocked it out of the park. But HBO might have envisioned a slightly younger John Dutton that naturally radiates authority and has the stamina for action scenes.
If It Wasn’t for HBO, Kevin Costner Would’ve Never Been the Perfect John Dutton
Despite Future Drama, Costner Carried Yellowstone for Five Seasons
Sheridan had to have an uncomfortable conversation with Redford about why he wasn’t the right vision for John, with former programming president Michael Lombardo attempting to help smooth things over. The project ended up being in development for years at HBO, ultimately being passed over. Sheridan alleges that the unnamed Senior VP felt Yellowstone was a “step backwards” from HBO’s avant-garde image, because the series was in Middle America, rural Montana. The executives also had a problem with Beth Dutton’s abrasiveness.
Everything ended up working out in Sheridan’s favor though. Paramount Network picked up the series, Costner was cast as John, and Beth ended up becoming a fan-favorite character. For modern audiences, Costner is now cemented as a Western hero (who plays an anti-hero in Yellowstone) because of his symbolic charisma as John Dutton. Redford probably would’ve done a fine job, but he might not have been the right age for the character. John has the wisdom of someone who’s owned a ranch for decades and raised adult children, but he also has enough youth to quickly spring into action when necessary.
While Costner gave the performance of a lifetime on Yellowstone, fulfilling Sheridan’s wish, it didn’t come without drama. Years later, Costner shocked viewers when he announced he’d be stepping down from the role in Season 5 after months of rumors that he was leaving. An anonymous source reports Costner was “uncomfortable” with the direction of the character, all the way back to Season 2. Sheridan’s team says that Costner requested to work fewer days to work on Horizon: An American Saga.
But Costner claims that while “waiting on scripts” from Sheridan, he had to push back time to work on Horizon. The behind-the-scenes of Yellowstone all became very messy very quickly. That’s what happens when two strong minds come together to create one story. In the long run, maybe Costner’s leave was the price Sheridan had to pay to get Yellowstone on the air.
