Yellowstone's Dawn Olivieri makes surprise confession about co-star Kevin Costner following his character's tragic TV death

WARNING: This article and video contains spoilers for Season 5 Episode 11 of Yellowstone, which aired November 25 only on Stan.

EXCLUSIVE: She's behind one of the biggest TV deaths that shook the world this month, but now Yellowstone star Dawn Olivieri has a surprising confession to share.

The world gasped when Kevin Costner's character John Dutton III met his tragic demise in Yellowstone's mid-season premiere – and it was all thanks to Olivier's character Sarah Atwood after she hired a hit man to do so.

But despite her character being behind Dutton's death, Olivieri has never actually met the Hollywood legend, Costner, in real life.

The only place you can stream every episode of Yellowstone is on Stan.

"Nope, never even met him," Olivieri laughed as she sat down with 9Entertainment.

But there was a good reason why.

"That's the fun thing about this job if you don't have scenes together – unless there's an event or a red carpet that you get to meet each other, sometimes even then you don't even [have the chance to] really talk.

"I was new to the cast and I had a very small time to make those sort of inroads, so I never really had the opportunity to do that."

So while she's never met Kevin Costner, Olivieri certainly made an impact on Yellowstone fans.

READ MORE: Yellowstone star Denim Richards speaks out after his beloved character Colby Mayfield's tragic fate was revealed

"It just makes me laugh even listening to the intensity of people's responses to his death, to my death," she said of their characters.

"Do you know what I love truly about all of it? If you are having a reaction, whether it's positive or negative, you are on the roller-coaster.

"Congratulations, you bought a ticket and you're on the ride."

Her own character was killed off in a shocking scene that aired in the second episode, after she was shot while sitting in her car – and viewers suspect it was no accident.

Olivieri continued: "Whether you loved me or hated me, or loved how I died or hated how he died or any of those things, it's part of the beauty of what all this is about which is just to make us experience human nature.

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The cast of Yellowstone hit the red carpet for the Season 5, Part 2 premiere in New York

"To invite us to feel all the things that we feel, to find a community where we can agree or disagree or we can be sad together...that's what it's for.

"[The fans] really do care, it's the Western soap opera of the ages, that's for sure."

In fact, Olivieri couldn't even predict Sarah's involvement in John Dutton's death.

"You never really know, because in truth it's not even written yet," she said.

"I think John always had an exit. I can't speculate whether [creator] Taylor [Sheridan] knew how to do that, maybe I was a devise the entire time? Maybe he created that out from the beginning?"

But until she was told, she felt the conclusion was "perfect".

The final episodes of Yellowstone air on Mondays, only on Stan.

READ MORE: Yellowstone star breaks silence after character is killed off - and answers one question everyone is asking

Can't get enough of Yellowstone?

Below, Luke Grimes dissects that shocking premiere, while Wes Bentley opens up about filming Kevin Costner's exit:

The only place you can stream every episode of Yellowstone is on Stan.

Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan.