A famous country singer and a legendary actor are among the stars who passed on Yellowstone. Did you know that the show’s biggest stars also came close to telling Taylor Sheridan “Thanks, but no thanks”?
Kevin Costner’s Season 5 drama is just the latest in his up-and-down tenure with the show. Early on, he says he signed on for one kind of show. But it soon morphed into a series that would require a lengthy commitment, and that gave him pause.
OK, technically he is not under contract for the remainder of Season 5, but come on — he knew what he signed up for, right? The Dutton Rules podcast team may be a little bit salty about it.
Given all of that, we’ve included him on this very snackable gallery (or video above, if you’d rather watch) of actors and potential actors who passed on Yellowstone. An entire network is also listed, as is a Hollywood legend who agreed to star as John Dutton before Costner even got the script.
Taylor Sheridan doesn’t get many “No” answers these days but that wasn’t always the case. Keep scrolling to learn why people turned him down and how that worked out for them. The lesson to learn is that standing on ideology can be costly.
Yellowstone: Who Said ‘No’ To Taylor Sheridan?
Why in the world would anyone turn down a chance to star on Yellowstone? It happened, more than once. In fact the show’s biggest star nearly quit after one season while an entire network passed because the hit TV show didn’t groove with their ideology.
See who passed on Yellowstone and how it ended up working out.
Kevin Costner Quit!
Kevin Costner may not have been under contract for the second half of Season 5 of Yellowstone, but come on — he knew what he signed up for. In refusing to return, he left Taylor Sheridan and fans hanging. Who knows how this show is going to end without him?
The man who plays John Dutton nearly quit a long time ago however. Talking to ET he said the show was pitched to him as one, 10-hour long mini-movie. “Somewhere along the line, they wanted to turn it into a series, and you kind of have to look at things again,” he shared. Who would have played the Dutton patriarch if not Costner? Keep reading to see who Sheridan wanted to star originally.
Sam Elliott Trashed ‘Yellowstone’
Taylor Sheridan wanted Sam Elliott to play a part on Yellowstone but he said “No.” Those conversations eventually led to the role of Shea Brennan on 1883, but …
Elliott kind of hates Yellowstone. Talking to Marc Maron he compared it unfavorably to the 80s drama Dallas. The tone of the interview made it clear he wasn’t a fan.
Robert Redford Was Taylor’s First Choice
To secure the pilot for Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan was told he needed to secure Robert Redford, a world-class actor with many awards. So, he went to Sundance, met with Redford, got him to say “Yes!” and came back with the good news.
The network he was talking to was shocked and told him “We wanted a Robert Redford type!” Apparently the real thing wouldn’t work and it all fell apart. As for who said that …
HBO Said H-B-No!
HBO passed on Yellowstone. It sounds like they kind of jerked Sheridan around but co-creator John Linson finally pinned them down and was told the network believed they were too avant-garde for the show.
According to Sheridan, someone told them, “I don’t think anyone should be living out there in rural Montana. It should be a park or something.”
That ideology proved to be costly as the show is a huge hit at Paramount.
Cole Hauser Never Said “No,” But …
Cole Hauser may have passed if he was forced into an original plan that called for him to be one of John Dutton’s sons. He knew from the get-go that the role of Rip Wheeler was for him so he chased that down instead. It worked out well.