‘Yellowstone’ Star Kevin Costner Shares Late Father’s Hilarious Reactions to His Career Choices [Watch]
Yellowstone star Kevin Costner is a major success by any reasonable standard, but in a new video clip he posted to social media, the Oscar-winning actor, director and producer shares that his late father wasn't necessarily always on board with his various career choices — at least, not right at first.
Costner posted a clip of himself on stage with his country and roots band, Kevin Costner & Modern West, in which he's addressing the fans, recalling his father's thoughts on the various choices he made. Noting that he went to the "only school I could get into that I didn't have to write an essay," Costner shares that his college tuition was just $99, but he still had no sense of what he wanted to do.
"And when I finally heard the ticking of my heart, I knew it was gonna upset everybody in my life," Costner recalls. "I told my dad first; I said, 'Dad, I think I know what I wanna do ... I wanna be an actor.' And his head hit the table so hard," the entertainer recounts with a broad smile.
It didn't help that when Costner's father questioned him about his plans, "There wasn't a single question I could answer," he admits.
"I was really happy, and he was really afraid," Costner states. "Because that's what fathers are. What they want to do is, be able to help you in life."
Despite his father's misgivings, Costner established a burgeoning career as a successful leading man in films including Silverado, The Untouchables, No Way Out, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. By 1990, Costner was a major star, and he decided to take his career to the next level. Once again, his father didn't understand his choice.
"When I told my dad I wanted to direct, his head hit the table even harder," Costner states, laughing. "He said, 'This acting thing is going really good, and I do not know why you wanna mess it up, fella.'"
The result of that choice, of course, was 1990's runaway hit Dances With Wolves, which Costner starred in, produced and directed. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Director, and it established Costner as one of the most iconic filmmakers of his generation.
As time went on, Costner also decided to return to his original love, music, when he started Modern West.
"So when I decided that I would come back to music, the one person I didn't tell ..." Costner starts before the video humorously cuts off.
In a previous interview behind the scenes of Yellowstone's upcoming Season 5 in June, Costner shared that his father also warned him away from his current role as John Dutton on Yellowstone, which has grown into the most-watched show on cable television over the course of four seasons since it launched in 2018.
In a cast interview posted on Yellowstone's YouTube channel, Costner revealed that his father and mother had both died in the last year, "within months of each other." He recalled that his dad had been concerned about his choice to do the show, which is shot through with violence, sex and R-rated language.
"He said, 'You're gonna lose your audience, fella,'" Costner recounted. "He said, 'That is a naughty show.' And he said, "They're gonna drift away, son ... you mark my words, that's naughty.'"
Once the show launched and became so successful, Costner's father changed his view of Yellowstone.
"Two years later, he's going, 'The nurses wanna know how it ends, and they just love [the show]," Costner shares. "And he just forgot about that other prediction."
Season 5 of Yellowstone began shooting in Montana in mid-May, and it's set to premiere on Nov. 13.
The new season will consist of 14 episodes airing in two arcs of 7 episodes apiece. Seasons 1-4 of the hit Paramount Network show are currently available to stream via Peacock.
As part of Taste of Country's comprehensive coverage of all things Yellowstone, check out our Dutton Rules podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.