Kevin Costner Explains His Decision to Leave ‘Yellowstone’ | The Rich Eisen Show

“You and I have talked about this off-camera, but I want to say here—I’m really disappointed that you’re not going to be in Yellowstone anymore.”

“Yeah, I loved making that show. When it came my way, it wasn’t really on anyone’s radar, but I saw the great writing and believed in it. I worked hard to help get it sold overseas, and what started as one season turned into five. I kept Yellowstone in first position, but I always wanted to do more than one project a year. For example, with Horizon, I have 200 or 300 people waiting on me, and I couldn’t let them down. After five seasons, I realized I had to stop to make room for those other commitments.”

“I saw the video you posted last week confirming you wouldn’t be back on Yellowstone.”

“Yeah, I was in the middle of promoting Horizon, and people were asking me what I was going to do. I love Yellowstone, but since nothing was in motion, I figured I should take away the mystery and let people know it wasn’t going to happen. No, I’m not going to be in the upcoming season.”

“Do you know what happens to your character?”

“No idea. I’m not part of that mix anymore. Right now, I’m fully focused on Horizon. I’ve committed myself to making these films, and when I’m done, I’ll feel like I accomplished what I set out to do. Good or bad, they’ll live forever.”

“That’s incredible. Everyone should see Horizon on the big screen. Chapter 1 comes out this Friday, Chapter 2 follows on August 16th, and you’re currently in production on Chapter 3, right?”

“Yeah, I’m making it now. It’s an epic story with so many characters, and once it all comes together, it’s like the first hundred pages of a novel—it finally clicks. There’s no magic pill. The West was tough, and it only gets harder for these characters.”