Throughout his showbiz run, Kevin Costner has become notable for his prolific presence in the western landscape, which dates back to his initial days in the industry, starting with Silverado in ’85. Even though Silverado served as a breakout point for the actor, the movie that made his presence prominent within the genre was his directorial debut, which premiered 5 years later.

Interestingly, Taylor Sheridan’s inspiration for Yellowstone stemmed from Costner’s directorial feature, whose impact on the genre can’t be overstated.

Kevin Costner’s directorial debut shaped Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone years later

Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan | Credit: Paramount+

Like Costner, Taylor Sheridan‘s fascination with westerns began at a very young age, especially from the media he consumed. This involved works from writers Cormac McCarthy, Larry McMurtry, and Toni Morrison, and as for what shaped his modern-day western epic, in addition to Clint Eastwood‘s Unforgiven, Sheridan also named Dances with Wolves one of his influences.

Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves | Credit: Tig Productions

This is especially apparent with Yellowstone’s core themes, which explore a dying American way of living, as the thematic parallels between Sheridan’s modern-day neo-western epic and Costner’s magnum opus remain noticeable.

Elaborating on his influences, Sheridan recalled (via Variety):

There’s a lot of Westerns about it. And in terms of the movies that influenced me, it was watching ‘Unforgiven’ when I was in my late teens or very early 20s. The same with ‘Dances With Wolves,’ where you’re looking at the Western genre through a whole new lens that had never been explored before.

While not exactly a thematic descendant, as past its core themes, both are very much their own things; Kevin Costner‘s inclusion in Yellowstone does bring this connection full circle.

Kevin Costner was drawn to Taylor Sheridan over their shared admiration for westerns

As for what pulled Costner into the mix, it was Sheridan’s chops for writing. Arguably one of the best Western writers in the business right now, Taylor Sheridan has continued to excel within the confines of the genre, irrespective of the format.

Costner, a fellow western admirer himself, was naturally drawn to the Sicario writer’s realistic approach to the genre, and it was one of the primary reasons behind his years-long commitment to Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone | Credit: Paramount+

Speaking of Yellowstone, Costner added:

I saw that the dialogue had a fun, realistic approach to it. 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.

Although things didn’t conclude on a great note for the duo following their alleged feud during the backend of Yellowstone, their contribution to the modern Western climate can’t be ignored. Moreover, Sheridan has continued to expand past Yellowstone with its spin-offs, and Costner, too, was busy with his passion-driven Horizon series, whose future remains uncertain as of now.