Viewers can't get enough of the Paramount drama, “Yellowstone,” but do they know
which cast member was sued by a Baldwin brother? Who’s starting a music career? Or which
actor is Barbra Streisand’s granddaughter? Keep watching for more interesting details
about the cast of TV’s hottest show.
Kevin Costner's first screen credit came with a minor role in the 1981 comedy "Malibu Hot
Summer." The low-budget film flopped and was never heard from again—until Costner subsequently
became one of Hollywood's biggest stars. As a TV Guide review pointed out, the film was
rereleased in 1986 on home video under a new title—"Sizzle Beach, U.S.A."—and marketed
as a Costner star vehicle, even though his role was relatively small.
Not only was the film a stinker, it also featured Costner in a sex scene he was reluctant do
in the first place. Costner, who plays wealthy cattle rancher
John Dutton on “Yellowstone,” was not happy that this particular blast from his
past was resurfacing. So, he tried to buy the rights in hopes of burning the negative.
But Troma Entertainment, which held the rights, refused to sell and released the film.
"Leverage is known if someone had all the money in the world. This is what they'd buy."
While shooting his Oscar-winning 1990 directorial debut "Dances with Wolves" in the Black Hills
of South Dakota, Kevin Costner fell in love with the land. So enamored was Costner of
the area, reported the Buffalo News, that he and his brother, Dan, purchased a property
in Deadwood that they converted into a casino, the Midnight Star Gaming Emporium.
Trouble emerged years later, reported CBS News, when Costner fired his managers, who
also had a 6.5-percent ownership stake. When they refused to relinquish ownership, Costner
moved to dissolve their partnership, and the matter ended up in court. Costner ultimately
won the case and more than a decade later in 2017, Costner shut the place down and eventually
sold it.
Following the devastation wreaked by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, reported The Guardian, Kevin
Costner was inspired to spend millions funding research at a company called Ocean Therapy
Solutions to develop technology that could clean up similar oil spills. As Costner told
CNN, the invention uses a giant centrifuge to separate the oil and water while recycling
the oil. Following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the company responsible for
the spill ordered 32 of the devices from Costner's company for $24 million each.
However, the situation became a little sticky when fellow actor Stephen Baldwin sued Costner.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldwin—brother of actors Alec and William—claimed that
he and his associate had entered into an agreement to market the technology, but were purposefully
excluded from a meeting with BP and ultimately sold their interests back to Costner. Baldwin's
convoluted lawsuit sought $17 million in damages. Ultimately, Baldwin's lawsuit proved to be
a loser. As The Guardian reported, Costner refused to settle and took the case to trial,
where the jury rejected Baldwin's claims. "I don't want to talk about this again."
Costner declared after the verdict, "My name means more to me than money and that's
why we didn't settle."
British actor Kelly Reilly is well known these days for her role as Beth Dutton. But back
in 2008, Reilly unexpectedly found herself in the tabloids, smack dab in the center of
the messy breakup between pop star Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie. At
the time, Reilly had just begun filming the Ritchie-directed feature film "Sherlock Holmes,"
when US Weekly reported Ritchie and Reilly were dating.
As it turned out, reports of Reilly's romance with Ritchie were not just wildly exaggerated,
but utterly untrue. Reilly said of Ritchie in an interview with The Telegraph,
"I had done one day's filming with him and said, 'Hello, how are you?' We'd talked about
a scene and before you knew it there were press on my parents' doorstep going, 'So,
I hear that Kelly's the reason for the divorce.'" As Reilly explained, she was in a relationship
with someone else at the time, and barely even knew Ritchie, whom she described as,
quote, "a nice guy.." Recalling her totally-invented scandal in
an interview with The Guardian, Reilly wrote it off as, quote, "ridiculous nonsense" and
very disturbing.
Luke Grimes portrays Kayce on "Yellowstone," son of Kevin Costner's John Dutton. He's also
appeared in numerous films and TV series prior to that. According to his IMDb credits, he's
appeared in "American Sniper," "The Magnificent Seven," and all three "Fifty Shades of Grey"
movies, along with such TV series as "True Blood" and "Brothers & Sisters."
Beyond his acting work, Grimes has another creative endeavor that he's been pursuing.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he revealed he was ready to embark on a sideline
as a musician. However, he insisted that whatever happened with his music, it would not be reflected
in his "Yellowstone" role. He told Rolling Stone in early 2022,
"I think it would be weird if Kayce started singing."
Grimes confirmed he'd been writing songs, and was looking to launch a career as a country
artist. As he told Rolling Stone, music wasn't anything new for him, given he had previously
been the drummer in a Los Angeles-based country band.
Since the first season of "Yellowstone," Taylor Sheridan has portrayed Travis, a horse trader
who does business with Costner's John Dutton. Sheridan has, in fact, been acting for decades
and his credits start back to the mid-1990s, with roles in series including "Star Trek
Enterprise" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," along with recurring characters on "Sons of
Anarchy," and "Veronica Mars." What viewers of "Yellowstone" may not know,
however, is that he's the same Taylor Sheridan that created the show. While pursuing an acting
career, Sheridan carved out a sideline as a top-notch screenwriter, penning the scripts
for films "Sicario," "Hell or High Water," and others. As he revealed in an interview
with the Missoulian, he began developing "Yellowstone" in 2013.
"It's the world I know. Every great storyteller told stories in the world that they know."
In the initial announcement for "Yellowstone," Sheridan offered a description of the show
that, in hindsight, also goes a long way in explaining its popularity. He said,
"The show is both timely and timeless. As much as it explores themes painfully relevant
to the world today, it explores the very essence of family, and how the actions of one member
can alter the course of generations."
Cole Hauser plays Rip Wheeler on "Yellowstone," husband of Kelly Reilly's Beth. Ostensibly
employed as a ranch hand, Rip is also the Dutton family "fixer," making problems go
away via tactics that may not be exactly legal. Hauser is no Hollywood neophyte, with his
roster of IMDb credits stretching back to the early 1990s, including films such as "Good
Will Hunting," and "2 Fast 2 Furious." One of his pre-"Yellowstone" roles, however, unexpectedly
led to controversy in an Eastern European country: the 2005 horror movie "The Cave,"
which shot in Romania. Hauser shared with Movie Hole his not-so-fond memories of working
in the country, "Well, Romania has a distinctive smell to
begin with, so driving to work stunk and then walking on the set stunk even worse. And then
you're in close quarters with these guys, and Europeans aren't known for their hygiene.”
Given that "Yellowstone" is filmed in the wide-open spaces of Montana and Utah, it's
a safe assumption that Hauser—or at least his nose—is enjoying his latest project
a whole lot more.
Kelsey Asbille is known to "Yellowstone" viewers as Monica, wife of Grimes' character, Kayce.
Monica is Native American, granddaughter of elder Felix Long, on the Broken Rock reservation
that abuts the Duttons' ranch. Asbille told W Magazine, being of English, Chinese and
Cherokee descent, portraying a Native American on "Yellowstone," provided an opportunity
to, quote, "get in touch with that side of my heritage."
However, while The New York Times identified Asbille as being descended from the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians, BuzzFeed News reported that actor Sonny Skyhawk made some inquiries
to the nation's Tribal Enrollment Office, which could find no record of Asbille or any
evidence that she's actually of Cherokee descent. Regardless of the authenticity of Asbille's
heritage, at least one Native American actor called out "Yellowstone" for not casting an
actor with a less tenuous heritage. Adam Beach, known for his roles in "Flags of Our Fathers,"
and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," took to Instagram to register his objections. Beach
wrote, quote, "Failure in Diversity," and asked Native American actors to boycott "Yellowstone."
According to Beach, casting Asbille in that role was essentially telling the world that
there are no Native actresses capable of leading a TV show.
Fans of "Yellowstone" know Wes Bentley from his role as Jamie, adopted son of John Dutton.
Film and television viewers will also recall Bentley from his roles in TV's "American Horror
Story," and such movies as "American Beauty," and "The Hunger Games."
"We have a real problem." One big project not appearing on the actor's
IMDb page, however, is "Spider-Man." A report from back in 2000 claimed Bentley was on the
Spidey short-list. While Maguire ultimately landed the role, it was only after Bentley
had already turned it down. As Bentley told the Express Tribune, in his younger days it
was something of a knee-jerk reaction to turn down offers for big-budget projects. He said,
"I didn't want to go there because I believed in what I did in 'American Beauty' was special
and I had higher expectations for myself to do something like that again."
Looking back, Bentley admitted that he would now look at projects like "Spider-Man" with
more of an open mind than he did when he was younger.
There's no denying that "Yellowstone" character Jimmy has experienced the show's most dramatic
transformation, from drug-dealing lowlife to respected cowboy. As played by actor Jefferson
White, Jimmy has become a fan favorite with the show's viewers.
In early 2022 the actor shared a message on his Instagram Stories to warn that someone
had been impersonating him online. He said in a video he posted,
"Hey, a bunch of people been telling me they're getting an email from a fake me. So I'm sorry
if you get an email, I didn't send it to you. Unless you want to give me your social security
number? Just kidding." White concluded by clarifying that whoever
was pretending to be him most decidedly was not, and instructed his Instagram followers
not to respond to the fake Jefferson White.
Gil Birmingham should be instantly recognizable to fans of the "Twilight" movies for portraying
Billy Black. On "Yellowstone," Birmingham—who is of Comanche ancestry—plays Thomas Rainwater,
chief of the Broken Rock reservation. Interestingly enough, Birmingham entered acting
via bodybuilding, which he viewed as a form of creative expression. He told Cowboys & Indians,
"I was fascinated that you could sculpt a body like a piece of sculpture."
Even though his pumped physique led to an acting-adjacent gig playing Conan the Barbarian
at Universal Studios theme park, a career in movies and TV was never the endgame.
As it turned out, Birmingham's real entry into show biz came when he was scouted at
a gym to be one of the bodybuilders in the music video Diana Ross's song "Muscles." Recalling
he had, quote, "so much fun on the set," his girlfriend at the time suggested he take some
acting lessons. Birmingham recalled, "And I said, 'Hey, I don't know. I don't really
have a direction going right now — let's see what this acting thing's about.'"
In 2020, USA Today reported that Josh Holloway of "Lost" fame was joining the cast of "Yellowstone"
for its third season, playing Roarke Morris, a rancher at odds with John Dutton. Prior
to joining "Yellowstone," Holloway dropped by "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to promote his sci-fi
series "Colony." During his appearance, he shared a bizarre occurrence that happened
while filming in Vancouver, when he found himself stuck in traffic. Holloway tried to
clamp down on his impulse to erupt in furious road rage. However, he recalled, after being
stuck for about 25 minutes, he was, quote, "shaking," joking that his, quote, "American
really wants to come out." Finally, Holloway saw the cause of the delay
was a worker in a construction zone, wielding a stop sign and, quote, "having a blast" and
pointing the sign at drivers. Holloway erupted. "I'm like, hey you blankety-blank, you better
move your blank out of the way or I'll run it the blank over."
The object of Holloway's ire then offered an unexpected response. According to Holloway
the man turned around and dropped his pants and mooned Holloway.
Ryan Bingham has appeared in multiple episodes of "Yellowstone" as Walker, an ex-con who
landed on the bad side of Dutton family enforcer Rip. While "Yellowstone" isn't Bingham's only
acting credit, acting isn't his primary vocation. Bingham is actually an acclaimed singer-songwriter
who won a 2010 Oscar for "The Weary Kind," a song he co-wrote for the film "Crazy Heart,"
starring Jeff Bridges. Bingham's role in "Yellowstone" came after
he met with series creator Taylor Sheridan, who was interested in having Bingham write
a song for "Wind River," a film Sheridan directed. While that didn't work out, the two remained
friendly and stayed in touch.Bingham said in an interview with Cinema Blend,
"…he contacted me again about possibly writing some songs and using some of the songs that
I already had. And after hanging out for a while, he learned that I had a history with
rodeo and the cowboy thing. And so he said, 'Heck, I got to write you into this show.'”
Eden Brolin has appeared in numerous episodes of "Yellowstone" as Mia, a rodeo barrel racer.
Prior to "Yellowstone," Brolin was best known for her role on the Freeform sci-fi series
"Beyond." Of course, she's equally well-known as the
daughter of Josh Brolin, whose roles include Cable in "Deadpool 2" and Thanos in "Avengers:
Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame." She's also the granddaughter of actor James Brolin.
He told Closer Weekly of his granddaughter's burgeoning acting career,
"She's doing so well. She's the sweetest girl and she's been singing and playing the piano
since I remember ... since she was seven years old. This is kind of all natural to her."
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