We know that Kevin Costner definitely won’t be part of the final episodes of Yellowstone, and now he’s explaining more of the reason behind his decision.

Costner said he “just hadn’t heard anything” about the fate of his character, family patriarch John Dutton, when Extra’s Billy Bush asked him about it in the video below. “It was just time to move on and as gracefully as you can with something that’s been very important to you,” the actor-director said.

While the Oscar winner had departed the show after the last batch of episodes — the first half of its fifth and final season, which premiered in November 2023 — it was unclear if he would return to the ranch-set drama for a final appearance or two.

Costner only confirmed that he would not on Friday, when he said that he’d spending all his efforts on Horizon, a series of movies that he’s starring in, writing, producing, and directing.

“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of Yellowstone. “I loved it, and I know you loved it. And I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship that we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”

His new project costars Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, and Sam Worthington as pioneers in a region that’s familiar to him.

“I’m in love with language of the West,” the California native said. “I’m kind of in love with Shakespeare. And that’s our Shakespeare.”

Costner, who won two Oscars for the 1991 movie Dances with Wolves, which he also spearheaded as director, producer, and star, said he’s invested a lot, including $38 million of his own money, in Horizon.

When asked if rumors that he had mortgaged a home for the funds were true, Costner said it was “more than that.” He added, “It’s gone pretty deep.”

The first of the films, Horizon: An American Saga, arrives in theaters on Friday, June 28.