Kevin Costner Had a Strong Reaction to a Scene in Yellowstone Season 2

Kevin Costner is a Hollywood icon and a key figure in modern westerns, but he has a reputation for being somewhat challenging to work with. He famously clashed with Kurt Russell on the set of their Elvis impersonator crime film, “3000 Miles to Graceland,” and he departed Taylor Sheridan’s hit series “Yellowstone” before its finale, citing scheduling delays and an overwhelming number of spin-offs as his reasons. On top of all that, he’s known to be quite a picky eater.

During a conversation with Delish, celebrity chef Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeau, who was the head of craft services on Sheridan’s projects before joining “Yellowstone,” revealed that there was a particular scene in season 2 that genuinely grossed Costner out, leading to a memorable on-camera reaction. In the third episode, titled “The Reek of Desperation,” Costner, who portrays the homesteader John Dutton, was confronted with a plate of grilled octopus, which he found particularly off-putting.

Gator recounted the moment: “In no way, shape, or form would he ever eat the grilled octopus. I set this big sea spider down in front of poor Kevin Costner… He gave me this look, and it was a genuine reaction you see in the show: ‘Gator, what the h*** is that?'”

Costner’s reaction was so authentic that he dropped an f-bomb, exclaiming, “What the f*** is that?” before quickly requesting someone at the table to pass the potatoes. It was a humorous moment that contrasted sharply with the typically serious demeanor of Dutton. Gator described Costner as an old-fashioned meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, suggesting that before they met, he might have subsisted mainly on canned chili and hot dogs—a far cry from a gourmet Mediterranean dish.

While Costner might have turned his nose up at the beautifully presented octopus, Gator mentioned that simpler dishes, like bread pudding, were more to his liking. It’s amusing to think that while John Dutton’s daughter Beth (played by Kelly Reilly) might be intrigued by a Mediterranean diet, her father had no interest in it at all.

In the world of acting, some have had to consume or pretend to eat octopus on screen, such as Chace Crawford in “The Boys,” where CGI allowed him to avoid the actual dish. Conversely, Choi Min-sik in “Oldboy” had to eat live octopuses for a scene, despite being a Buddhist and vegetarian, apologizing to each creature in a show of commitment to his craft.

Would Costner ever eat four live octopuses on camera? Unlikely. Fortunately for him, he seems focused on continuing to make westerns, allowing him to stick with his preferred beans and hot dogs.