Yellowstone: Kevin Costner & Josh Lucas Had To Be Kept Separate During
Kevin Costner has been the face of “Yellowstone” since its debut in 2018. As John Dutton, the head of the Dutton Yellowstone ranch, Costner is a key factor in the show’s popularity.
However, he’s not the only one to portray the Dutton patriarch. Josh Lucas, who plays a younger version of John Dutton, was approached for the role even before the pilot episode was filmed.
This was one of the many elements that series creator Taylor Sheridan had planned out in advance.
In a 2022 interview, Lucas recalled how Sheridan showed him specific points on the ranch and said, “This will happen here in season 1, and this will happen here in season 2.”
Lucas was impressed by Sheridan’s meticulous planning long before the show aired. Sheridan also told Lucas that the younger John Dutton would play a major role in season 5.
True to his word, season 5, part 1, delves deeper into John Dutton’s backstory just as Kevin Costner was wrapping up his time on the show.
Last year, it was confirmed that Costner would not return for part 2 of season 5. Sheridan seemed to have envisioned Costner’s exit long ago, as season 5 gave viewers a glimpse into John Dutton’s life before he left, almost like a visual farewell.
Interestingly, despite playing the same character at different ages, Josh Lucas and Kevin Costner have never met on the set of “Yellowstone.”
According to Lucas, this was a deliberate choice by Sheridan to allow Lucas to create his own version of John Dutton without being influenced by Costner’s portrayal.
Now that Costner has exited “Yellowstone,” there are questions about the show’s future, especially whether it will continue into a sixth season with existing stars like Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser. It’s also uncertain how much Josh Lucas will be involved moving forward.
