Though there have been a lot of things that Kevin Costner has done to earn himself the limelight, perhaps his messy Yellowstone exit was one of the most talked about. While his departure from the Western saga in itself was a disappointing decision to fans that embroiled him in controversy, the actor also found himself pretty much fighting his battle alone.
But it seems like, throughout it all, he wasn’t really alone. While his co-stars have stepped up ever since to say good things about Costner after parting ways with him, one, in particular, reportedly supported the actor amidst his reported feud with the showrunner Taylor Sheridan. Per latest reports, this co-star was none other than the fan-favorite Kelly Reilly.
Kelly Reilly Reportedly Supported Kevin Costner in His Yellowstone Exit
When Kevin Costner decided to take a stand for himself to leave his beloved character John Dutton behind to focus on his own Western Horizon saga, he was met with a lot of criticism and backlash. To say the least, he found himself leading his battle almost alone as most of his co-stars ostensibly ghosted him instead of supporting him amidst his messy exit.
However, exclusive reports are claiming that he wasn’t so alone after all, for his co-star Kelly Reilly, who played his commendably loyal warrior daughter Beth Dutton onscreen, also extended her support to him offscreen. If anything, sources claim that not only has she been supporting him the entire time, but they, apparently, still have conversations privately, hidden from the public eye.
That said, throughout the time Costner was involved in his reported feud with the genius showrunner Taylor Sheridan amidst his decision to bid Sheridan’s Western farewell to make his splash in the genre through his own film series, he still had Reilly’s support. This seems to have resulted from their onscreen friendship, which reportedly stemmed from the veteran’s respect for Reilly.
Per what an insider recently spilled to Life and Style, while “Kelly missed working with him” on Sheridan’s Western masterpiece, she still “respects his decision to follow his dreams.” The source says:
They had many private conversations about the situation and still communicate regularly. Other people on the show may live to regret their turncoat behavior, but Kelly and Kevin will always be friends.
While that’s that, the insider further emphasized that Reilly refused to give the cold shoulder to her older co-star irrespective of others’ behavior toward him. “When everything hit the fan with Paramount and the producers, Kelly refused to comment publicly,” the source said, “but Kevin knew where she stood – with him.” That said, it sounds inevitable that she supported him hugely offscreen.
Kevin Costner Took on a Paternal Role Offscreen for Kelly Reilly as Well (Reports)
Costner and Reilly’s commendable onscreen bond through their respective characters, of course, most certainly seems to have contributed significantly to making their offscreen rapport great, as the source claimed the two “had a great rapport on set and shared many scenes that seemed to bring them closer as actors, and they continue to bond.”
Additionally, not only was the Dances with Wolves actor mesmerized by his co-star’s performance, but he even took on a paternal role behind the scenes for her, similar to his onscreen character. “Kevin was blown away by her ability to nail her character down,” the source said all the while emphasizing that Reilly “didn’t need his advice” as an ostensibly paternal figure in her life.
What’s actually worth noting, however, is that while his other co-stars later went on to say only good things about him in press interviews, Reilly helped Costner’s dream to make Horizon a reality come true after negotiations for his return to the series’ season 5 part 2 fell apart (which reportedly led to many of the members of the cast and crew putting him in the backseat).
Well, if these reports are true, then at least someone ended up being truly loyal to the real John Dutton until the very end, especially when he desperately needed it – his very own daughter Beth Dutton!