Kevin Costner made headlines after exiting Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, sparking controversies over production issues and a clash with the director. This isn’t the first time the actor faced such a dilemma, which led to allegations that he is difficult to work with on set.
His former agent, Rick Nicita, defended the actor in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
The word difficult gets used a lot. It can mean someone who won’t come out of their trailer, or someone who doesn’t know their lines, or is rude. That’s not Kevin. He wanted what he wanted and knew what he wanted and if he didn’t get it… well, he was never a great compromiser. It’s a firm belief in himself and a confidence that to some can play as arrogance.
At the time of his departure from Yellowstone, he attributed the decision to scheduling conflicts with his personal project. However, reports of a feud between him and Sheridan, and even an on-set clash with a costar, spread on the rumor mill.
Kevin Costner’s Career Has Been Tainted by a Flurry of On-Set Dramas
Costner’s Yellowstone drama wasn’t the first time he was branded as hard to work with. One rift reportedly took place on the set of 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves after the actor and the director, Kevin Reynolds, argued over the character’s English accent.
When they collaborated again in 1995’s Waterworld, their working relationship sank even further, forcing the director to walk out of the project. Reynolds told Entertainment Weekly:
In the future, Costner should only appear in pictures he directs himself.
Another clash happened after Costner refused to shorten the running time for his directorial debut, The Postman, costing the production company to shell out $80 million for a movie that would only earn $20 million at the box office and five embarrassing Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Director.
After the whirlwind fiasco of The Postman, Costner went to star in yet another project that would ignite media controversy. The actor expressed his grievances towards the final edits made for Universal’s For the Love of the Game. He told Newsweek,
For Universal, this movie has always been about the length and the rating. It’s never been about the content.
The studio responded that it’s unfair for the actor to hijack the film when he’s not the director.
Costner’s Empire Slowly Crumbles After Strings of Controversies & Flopped Film Projects
Over the years, Costner earned a nasty reputation that would backfire on his career. One prime example is his dream project, Horizon: An American Saga, flopping hard at the box office.
There were several factors why the film series did not perform well critically and commercially, such as long runtime and marketing issues, but the slap of a s*xual assault allegation massively contributed to the downfall of the franchise. A stuntwoman sued the actor over an alleged unscripted r*pe scene in the second part of the anthology series (via TMZ).
What was once a dream project for Costner turned into a nightmare, and by the looks of it, the last two installments of the Horizon series will endure an uphill battle following the actor’s controversies.
What do you think of the allegations hurled at Costner? Share your thoughts in the comments!
