Actor Ed Harris has publicly voiced his dissatisfaction with his role in "Dutton Ranch," a spinoff of Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone," alleging he was misled about the significance of his character.
Speaking at the premiere of Apple TV's "The Dink," Harris, 75, told Variety that he was initially led to believe he was one of the four main characters in the series. However, after filming began, he felt his character was underused and "inconsequential."
"Prior to signing on for it, I was talked to quite a bit about what the season was, and what my character was going to do – and that I was one of the four main characters. And that wasn’t really the case," Harris stated. He added that he was informed his character would have a more substantial role in the second season, expressing his frustration.
This controversy echoes the departure of Kevin Costner from the flagship "Yellowstone" series. Costner, who played John Dutton, was killed off early in the second part of season five amid ongoing disputes with Sheridan over scheduling and creative direction. Costner has stated that script delays and contract renegotiations led to his exit.
"There was no script," Costner told Deadline, referring to the delays. "And then things imploded. You’ve been reading one version [of the show's drama] for a year and a half."
Costner's attorney, Marty Singer, has denied reports that Costner was only willing to film for one week for the latter half of "Yellowstone's" fifth season. Singer called such claims "an absolute lie."
Costner asserted that he prioritized "Yellowstone" and that the timeline for filming was inconsistently managed by the production, impacting his ability to work on his "Horizon" film franchise. He also indicated that Paramount sought to alter his contract after it had already been agreed upon for multiple seasons.
"I haven’t felt good about it the last year, what with the way they’ve talked about it," Costner told Deadline. "It wasn’t truthful."
