Kevin Costner is earning a reported $1.3 million per episode for his portrayal of John Dutton in "Yellowstone."
This is according to Variety, which has revealed the salaries of the A-listers who star in "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan’s various shows.
"Platforms appear to be trying to keep episodic fees under $1 million, with that number being reserved for only the biggest names," one rep told the outlet, which noted that the leading actors earn at least $1 million per episode in Sheridan’s shows.
With season five of "Yellowstone" set to be split into two parts across 14 episodes, Costner will be making nearly $20 million. This was not always the case, though.
As Screenrant reported, the actor originally signed on for $500,000 per episode in the first season but was able to renegotiate his contract for each season. And, judging by the success of the series, which saw 9.3 million people tune in to watch the season four finale in January — the largest cable viewership since 2017 — "Yellowstone" is set to keep expanding, meaning that Costner could very likely be renegotiating his pay again in the near future.
Meanwhile, Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, who star in the upcoming spin-off series "1923," are earning an estimated $1 million per episode, while "Tulsa King" lead Sylvester Stallone receives a similar payday. Yet, despite the jaw-dropping salaries and soaring success, Sheridan and his creations were nowhere to be found in the 2022 Emmy nominations.
The Daily Mail reported that "Yellowstone" was left out of the Best Drama category when the Emmy nominations were announced earlier this month. The show did receive a Screen Actors Guild nomination this year but did not come away with the top prize.
Additionally, two-time Academy Award-winning Costner failed to make the Best Actor category in the Emmys nominations list.
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