A month before Kevin Costner puts the first installment of his multi-chapter Western 害羞草研究所淗orizon: An American Saga害羞草研究所� into theaters, the actor-director came to the Cannes Film Festival to unveil his self-financed passion project.
害羞草研究所淭wo of my boys are out fishing right now,害羞草研究所� Costner said with a grin in an interview at the Carlton Hotel. 害羞草研究所淎nd the three girls found their way onto a boat. So dad害羞草研究所檚 in here, stumping for his movie.害羞草研究所�
The movie is actually two, or if Costner has his way, four. 害羞草研究所淗orizon: Chapter One,害羞草研究所� which runs three hours, will be released by Warner Bros. in theaters June 28. 害羞草研究所淐hapter Two害羞草研究所� follows August 16. Costner has scripts ready for parts three and four.
It害羞草研究所檚 only the fourth time Costner, 69, has directed, following 1990害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淒ances With Wolves,害羞草研究所� 1997害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淭he Postman害羞草研究所� and 2003害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淥pen Range.害羞草研究所� But when he has, Costner has usually done it with a clear-eyed passion for storytelling and character. That害羞草研究所檚 on display in the wide-ranging epic 害羞草研究所淗orizon,害羞草研究所� with a cast including Sienna Miller, Abbey Lee, Sam Worthington and Costner.
It害羞草研究所檚 also Costner害羞草研究所檚 biggest gamble, ever. To raise the money for the $100 million-plus production, he mortgaged his seaside Santa Barbara, California, estate. He害羞草研究所檚 been trying to make 害羞草研究所淗orizon害羞草研究所� for more than 30 years.
害羞草研究所淚 thank God for Cannes. I害羞草研究所檓 an independent filmmaker, essentially, and I害羞草研究所檓 here by myself,害羞草研究所� said Costner, whose film was to premiere Sunday. 害羞草研究所淪o this is a high moment for me because it害羞草研究所檚 helping me create awareness for a movie. I don害羞草研究所檛 have all the money in the world to expose this movie. But I have my time and a platform here.害羞草研究所�
Remarks have been lightly edited for brevity.
AP: What was your calculus in deciding to put your money into 害羞草研究所淗orizon害羞草研究所�? What made it worth it to you?
COSTNER: You can spend your life just trying to make your pile grow bigger and bigger. And I害羞草研究所檝e not been really terribly great at that. I害羞草研究所檓 like anyone else, I害羞草研究所檇 like it to be big. But not at the expense of not doing what I feel like I害羞草研究所檝e love to do. If no one will help me do it and I believe strongly in its entertainment value 害羞草研究所� there害羞草研究所檚 commerce on my mind. But I don害羞草研究所檛 let it overshadow the entertainment value and essence of what I害羞草研究所檓 trying to portray. I don害羞草研究所檛 try to let the fear of that control my instincts on any level. I don害羞草研究所檛 want to live that way. If I was watching a movie about me and I thought, 害羞草研究所淥o, don害羞草研究所檛 risk your money and make something like that,害羞草研究所� what a (expletive).
AP: Was it an easy decision? You didn害羞草研究所檛 look around your seaside Santa Barbara estate and question mortgaging it?
COSTNER: No, it wasn害羞草研究所檛 an easy decision, but it was the decision I needed to make. It害羞草研究所檚 like, wow, why am I having to do this? I think I害羞草研究所檓 making mainstream entertainment. I don害羞草研究所檛 know what you felt about the movie but I felt like it害羞草研究所檚 really mainstream. I don害羞草研究所檛 feel that I害羞草研究所檓 an avant-garde type of a person. But yet I think my things are a little off. I害羞草研究所檓 willing to (in a wagon trail scene in the film) see a woman bathe because her desire to be clean was so pronounced. If you害羞草研究所檙e a woman, who wouldn害羞草研究所檛 want to be? But then in the next moment, you realize it害羞草研究所檚 against the rule, man. You could cost yourself your life. So that scene became important to make the next scene important. To me, a scene like that is just as important as a gun fight. And if that kind of scene doesn害羞草研究所檛 want to exist in a mainstream movie害羞草研究所�
AP: Could this have been a series?
COSTNER: I guess. It will be. They害羞草研究所檙e going to break this up into a hundred pieces, you know what I mean? After four of these, they害羞草研究所檙e going to have 13, 14 hours of film and they害羞草研究所檙e going to turn into 25 hours of TV, and they害羞草研究所檙e going to do whatever they害羞草研究所檙e going to do. That害羞草研究所檚 just the way we live in our life but they害羞草研究所檒l also exist in this form. And that was important for me, to make sure that happened. And I was the one who paid for it.
AP: It害羞草研究所檚 an audacious release plan, with the second film opening two months after the first. What appealed to you about that?
COSTNER: The studio wanted to try that. I knew this was going to come out fairy quickly, like every four or five months. That may have been easier. But this is something they feel like people can remember the first one and it can tie into the second one. I built into all of them a montage of what害羞草研究所檚 coming.
AP: Since directing 害羞草研究所淒ances With Wolves,害羞草研究所� you害羞草研究所檝e directed 害羞草研究所淥pen Range害羞草研究所� and starred in 害羞草研究所淲yatt Earp害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淵ellowstone.害羞草研究所� What keeps bringing you back to the West?
COSTNER: I like seeing behavior in men that makes sense. I make movies for men. I just make sure there害羞草研究所檚 great women characters because that害羞草研究所檚 really important to me. The backbone of our movie is actually women. I don害羞草研究所檛 like boys behaving stupid. I like the little boy who (fleeing an attack) takes the two horses and effectively saves his life. I like seeing people behave honestly in desperate situations. The heroism of a little boy saying 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檒l stay with you, Dad害羞草研究所� is a really powerful moment. That害羞草研究所檚 my son (Hayes Costner) and it was very hard to watch.
AP: In dramatizing the drive West of settlers, what was the Native American perspective you wanted to consider?
COSTNER: Confusion about it. The colonel says, 害羞草研究所淚f we salt the earth with enough of their dead, the wagons won害羞草研究所檛 come anymore.害羞草研究所� When you害羞草研究所檙e that far out there, you can害羞草研究所檛 go. When people said goodbye in the East Coast, they didn害羞草研究所檛 come back. So the confusion for the Native American was they couldn害羞草研究所檛 make sense of that. Normally if you kill enough people they won害羞草研究所檛 bother you. But these Americans, these people were getting flyers saying you could have this land. There are salesmen in every century, every decade selling something they don害羞草研究所檛 really know what it is. It害羞草研究所檚 just America. It害羞草研究所檚 just this giant experiment of hope.
AP: But America means different things to different people, right? You have Chinese immigrants in the film as well.
COSTNER: When they weren害羞草研究所檛 useful, they were just cast away. And they had to create a sense of community and they came en masse. They came together and they were very industrious. They害羞草研究所檒l be the wealthiest people in that town until there害羞草研究所檚 a tipping point and racism kicks in and suddenly they害羞草研究所檙e gone, too. You watch. That害羞草研究所檚 what would happen in real life.
AP: What I害羞草研究所檓 getting at is there害羞草研究所檚 tragedy in this. Do you see westward expansion and your film as a tragedy?
COSTNER: There害羞草研究所檚 inevitable tragedy to it. And there害羞草研究所檚 divisions. You see a whole tribe break in half. You see a father break from a son.
AP: Have you already started shooting the third installment?
COSTNER: I害羞草研究所檝e shot three days and I continue to have to press for money to finish this. I have to figure out what else I can do to make this. But I害羞草研究所檓 not waiting to see how people feel. I know what this is, and I think if people love the movie experience, they have a really good chance of wanting to see the next one. That害羞草研究所檚 all I can believe. The prudent thing would be to wait, but I guess I害羞草研究所檓 not built for that wait.
AP: Some of the issues on 害羞草研究所淵ellowstone害羞草研究所� seemed to have to do with time and scheduling. What害羞草研究所檚 your feeling about your future with that series at this point?
COSTNER: 害羞草研究所淵ellowstone害羞草研究所� was really important in my life. I really loved that world and what we were able to do in five seasons. I only thought it would be one, but did five. I was willing to do three more 害羞草研究所� five, six and seven 害羞草研究所� but it just didn害羞草研究所檛 happen. Certain things were going on and it just didn害羞草研究所檛 happen. So the idea of going back, I害羞草研究所檓 open to that idea. But it害羞草研究所檚 based on everything that first three or four were based on, which is the scripts.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
