Kevin Costner's Clash With A Yellowstone Co-Star Left Kelly Reilly In Tears (Report)

The story of "Yellowstone" is filled with bitter rivals, ego-fueled power grabs, and that ever-lurking threat of violence simply waiting to explode, but apparently that fictional drama ended up seeping into the actual production of the acclaimed Paramount Network series. Just when you thought it couldn't get any more intense behind the scenes, famously culminating in star Kevin Costner parting ways with the show and threatening to drag the production into court, things somehow got even worse. And it all came to a head during one heated confrontation between Costner and actor Wes Bentley while shooting, described as a "tipping point" in the ongoing clash between Costner and creator, writer, and showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

In a lengthy profile dissecting Costner's fall from grace throughout the industry in the last several years, The Hollywood Reporter revealed some sordid details during the filming of one particular moment in "Yellowstone." According to THR, the script called for a "tense exchange" between Costner's family patriarch John Dutton, Kelly Reilly's Beth Dutton, and Bentley's Jamie Dutton. But on-set disagreements over how to play this particular scene soon boiled over into an almost physical altercation. Reportedly, Costner (who was also an executive producer on the show) wanted Bentley to diverge from Sheridan's script. Not only did Bentley refuse, but he apparently stated in no uncertain terms that he had joined the production to do a Sheridan series, not a Costner one. What came next, according to one unnamed source, would leave Reilly in tears and briefly halt production.

According to a witness:

"Kevin didn't like that, and he lunged at [Bentley]. 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."

Not all's well that ends well, apparently. Even after "Yellowstone" bowed out with its fifth and final season in 2024, concluding with main protagonist John Dutton written off the show entirely and giving way to a revolving door of spin-offs and prequels, we're still finding out new details on the simmering feud between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan — and how it swallowed up others in the crossfire. Longtime fans know Costner has a certain reputation for being "difficult" to work with, having spent decades building up his credibility as both a movie star and director in his own right. All that success (and a few high-profile failures) are bound to go to one's head, however, and every season spent working on "Yellowstone" brought Costner closer to what the THR article calls "diva-like" behavior.

As explained by another source present during the spat between Costner and Wes Bentley:

"The incident with Wes was the line in the sand. Everything was different after that. Everyone loved Wes, and so, that really made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from there on out. It got very awkward."

For Costner's part, things would only deteriorate from there. After leaving "Yellowstone," he directed his energy towards directing his passion project for the big screen, "Horizon: An American Saga." That didn't exactly go to plan, leaving the already-finished "American Saga — Chapter 2" with an uncertain future and no guarantee of future sequels being made and released as intended. The production has since come under fire with lawsuits alleging unpaid fees, breaching a co-financing agreement, and sexual discrimination, harassment, and retaliation regarding a stunt performer forced to film an unscripted rape scene without appropriate safety guidelines (per THR). For Costner, so often considered an industry titan and arguably one of our last genuine movie (and television) stars, the fallout from all this turmoil could be quite a stain on an otherwise successful career.