Wes Bentley on ‘Yellowstone’ Off-Camera Drama: “They’re Still Working on It”

Wes Bentley is weighing in on reports of behind-the-scenes drama surrounding his Paramount Network series, Yellowstone.

Bentley, who stars as Jamie Dutton on show creator Taylor Sheridan’s ranch-focused hit, spoke to Entertainment Weekly in an interview published online Saturday. During the conversation, he explained that he wasn’t directly involved in any of the discussions — which reportedly involve his co-star Kevin Costner’s schedule — but that he was hopeful everything will get ironed out.

“The news that’s come out recently about the show is, you know, it’s above my pay grade,” Bentley said. “Different people making decisions. I know that they’re still working on it, is what I’m being told — working on working things out with everyone to make sure we shoot.”

He continued, “And I’m confident we will. We always have before. I think it’s probably a bit of drama over nothing.”

Earlier this month, Costner was at the center of reports from anonymous sources claiming the actor, who portrays patriarch John Dutton, refused to work more than a single week on the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season that’s set to launch this summer. According to insiders, he has been focused on his currently shooting Western film Horizon.

Sources previously told The Hollywood Reporter that it appears increasingly unlikely for the show to be ready to begin shooting the new episodes in March as planned. The possibility exists that TV’s most-watched drama could end sooner than planned, although sources maintained that a Costner exit would not spur the show to end immediately.

For his part, Costner shared a video Feb. 13 of himself unboxing his Golden Globe after he was unable to attend last month’s ceremony due to weather. The actor made no mention of Yellowstone or Sheridan in the recording.