How Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone Script Convinced Kevin Costner To Star In The Show

You don't have to be a fan of Westerns to know how popular "Yellowstone" is. The Montana-set family drama is one of the most iconic series from Taylor Sheridan, whose excellent writing made Kevin Costner take on the leading role of the show.

When speaking to Variety, Costner, who portrays patriarch rancher John Dutton, said he was drawn to the neo-Western series by the dialogue and aesthetic described in the script. "It was raw. It was dysfunctional. And it was set against the backdrop of mountains and rivers and valleys and people on horseback, which is very appealing."

While Costner had a good feeling about the series from the first script read, he did not anticipate how successful it would be. "I felt that the people that would see it would appreciate it," the actor told Variety. "But when something gets this kind of extra kick — you can't predict that."

Capturing an authentic Western feel came naturally to Sheridan, who grew up on a ranch in Texas.  For "Yellowstone," he was allowed an unusual amount of creative control that helped him fully realize his own vision. Sheridan is also not a fan of the traditional writers' rooms that many series use. 

"I'm really interested in the dirty of the relationships in literally every scene," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "But when you hire a room that may not be motivated by those same qualities — and a writer always wants to take ownership of something they're writing — and I give this directive and they're not feeling it, then they're going to come up with their own qualities."

Aside from writing every episode of Yellowstone, he also wrote the show's two prequel series, "1883" and "1923." Another prequel series, "1944," is currently in development.