Oscar-winner premieres his Western epic 'Horizon: An American Saga' at Cannes to 10-minute standing ovation
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Kevin Costner is always willing to give his all for a production.
Costner's latest film, "Horizon: An American Saga," has been a project he has worked on and off to produce since 1988, ultimately putting up $38 million of his own money to get it made.
"I felt time slipping," he told GQ in its new cover story. "I thought the window was closing on me being able to be an effective part in that movie."
The 69-year-old’s feeling that time was "slipping" led him to dedicate a lot of his attention to "Horizon," causing some friction with his role on the Paramount series "Yellowstone."
Kevin Costner told GQ he "felt time slipping" on the chance to make his western epic "Horizon" film series. (Fanny Latour-Lambert/GQ)
"And so I basically burned my ships," he told GQ. "Like Cortés, we’re f--king here. I’m going to make this. And I mortgaged property. Now do you get it?"
"I’ve always wanted to do this movie, and I was doing ‘Yellowstone.’ I love ‘Yellowstone,’" he said, noting he actually saw "Horizon" as a companion piece to the hit series.
He recalled going to Cannes several years ago ahead of the show’s premiere to pitch it to buyers and advertisers in Europe, saying, "I loved that show and I went and helped. And Taylor [Sheridan] had a really great take on what this was. But I went over there. I’ve helped that show in a hundred different ways."
Costner said he was so committed to "Yellowstone" that he renegotiated his original three-season deal to extend to as many as seven total seasons.
Costner said he renegotiated his original three-season "Yellowstone" deal to extend to as many as seven total seasons. (Paramount Network)
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But production delays on the series, including the COVID pandemic and writers’ and actors’ strikes, impacted scheduling and made Costner feel like he couldn’t set time aside for "Horizon."
"We very rarely started when we said we would, and we didn’t finish when we said we would. And I was OK with that. I really was. I was OK with it, but it wasn’t a trend that could continue for me," he said.
When it was proposed that the show’s fifth season was going to be split into two parts, Costner recalled, "I said, ‘I have a contract to do "Horizon," and I have people and money.’ I think there was a belief that I couldn’t get it mounted, but I didn’t really care what anybody believed."
According to Costner, he tried to work with production on scheduling, but "the scripts never came."
"They still haven’t shot it. As far as I know," he added. "The scripts never came. And so then, at one point, they said to me that we don’t have an ending or anything."
Costner cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for parting ways with "Yellowstone." (Fanny Latour-Lambert/GQ)
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Paramount announced in a press release on Monday, the same day the GQ interview became available, that the show has begun production on the back half of the show’s fifth and final season in Montana and will return in November.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, series creator Taylor Sheridan said there wasn’t a specified number of episodes set, saying, "If I think it takes 10 episodes to wrap it up, they’ll give me 10. It’ll be as long as it needs to be."
"We very rarely started when we said we would, and we didn’t finish when we said we would. And I was OK with that. I really was. I was OK with it, but it wasn’t a trend that could continue for me."
— Kevin Costner to GQ
The first half of the fifth season aired its last episode in January 2023, ending on a cliffhanger with members of the Dutton Family, led by Costner’s John Dutton, on the verge of an all-out war with each other, including fan favorites Beth (Kelly Reilly) and Jamie (Wes Bentley).
Costner told GQ he offered options for his character, saying, "‘Well, if you want to kill me, if you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘I have a week before I start. I’ll do what you want to do.’"
Costner told GQ he was willing to have his character killed off, saying, "'I’ll do what you want to do.’" (Paramount Network)
A spokesperson for Paramount Network released a statement following Costner’s account of this conversation to GQ.
In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, a Paramount Network spokesperson wrote, "Kevin has been a big part of ‘Yellowstone’s’ success. While we had hoped that we would continue working with him, unfortunately, we could not find a window that worked for him, all the other talent, and our production needs in order to move forward together. We respect that Kevin has prioritized his new film series and we wish him the best."
Costner told GQ he took issue with how he was being portrayed in the press after "somebody picked up the idea that I only wanted to work one week. And that has been a carryover thing that I have seen in magazines: that I’ve only wanted to work one week."
"My big disappointment is I never heard Paramount or 101 really come to my defense and say, ‘That’s not true. He was going to do three more seasons,’" he said.
"My big disappointment is I never heard Paramount or 101 really come to my defense and say, ‘That’s not true. He was going to do three more seasons,’" Costner said of how the public reacted to his struggles with "Yellowstone." (Paramount Network)
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When asked if he’d ever return to "Yellowstone," he said, "Well, Taylor and I know what the conditions are for coming back, and I’ll just keep that between ourselves."
He added, "And if we can’t get to it, it’s because at the end of the day, it’s unreasonable for them or something."
"‘Well, if you want to kill me, if you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘I have a week before I start. I’ll do what you want to do.’"
— Kevin Costner to GQ
Costner also told the Associated Press in a recent interview, "‘Yellowstone’ 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 – five, six and seven – but it just didn’t happen. Certain things were going on, and it just didn’t happen. So, the idea of going back, I’m open to that idea. But it’s based on everything that first three or four were based on, which is the scripts."
The Oscar-winning director’s passion for the Western is what drives him to take the gambles he’s taking with his "Yellowstone" relationship and his own money.
Costner put up $38 million of his own money for his epic "Horizon" film. (Warner Bros.)
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"You can spend your life just trying to make your pile grow bigger and bigger. And I’ve not been really terribly great at that. I’m like anyone else; I’d like it to be big, but not at the expense of not doing what I feel like [I'd] love to do," Costner told the AP.
"If no one will help me do it, and I believe strongly in its entertainment value — there’s commerce on my mind. But I don’t let it overshadow the entertainment value and essence of what I’m trying to portray. I don’t try to let the fear of that control my instincts on any level. I don’t want to live that way. If I was watching a movie about me and I thought, ‘Oh, don’t risk your money and make something like that,’ what a [expletive]."
Filming "Horizon" also coincided with the star dealing with "So much. Very serious stuff," as he told GQ.
In 2021, Costner’s parents passed away, and in 2023, his wife of 18 years, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce, all on top of his "Yellowstone" dispute and filming an epic two-part film.
Christine Baumgartner filed for divorce from Kevin Costner after 18 years of marriage. (Getty Images)
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"And those things are very important. I have to deal with them. And I have to deal with them on a daily basis, emotionally, historically almost. And then there’s the immediate needs of children. I’m not going to list the things, I’m going to stop right there with them. That is my job, looking at that, and dealing with that," he told the outlet.
He continued, referring to feeling somewhat like Captain Ahab in "Moby Dick," saying, "I’ve taken big bites out of life, life’s taken big ones out of me, right? I’m not going to lose myself because I’ve been bruised. I have been, but I’m not going to lose myself. And what I’m going to do is – because we are now after the white whale, OK? So, I can’t let go of this rope no matter how much my heart’s on the ground, no matter how broken I may be on a daily basis, I can’t let go of this rope because if I do, this thing called ‘Horizon’ will stop."
"And Horizon’s not more important than the other things in my life, but I do have a level of responsibility to those guys that invested with me, to the people that believe in me, to the people that want to work all four of these and are willing to postpone other jobs on the hint that I might work," he added. "And so it doesn’t matter how much water’s hitting me in the face, I can’t let go of the rope that is this thing."
Costner acknowledged his release plan for the "Horizon" films, the first part being released in June with the second following in August, is a first.
Costner admitted he was going through "So much. Very serious stuff" during the production of "Horizon." (Warner Bros.)
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But I’m a little unconventional. I liked all four of ’em. They’re already written. I’m not making s--t up on the fly. And so to me, it’s not over until it’s over. So I did them both."
And he remains undeterred about completing parts three and four.
As he told the AP, "I’ve 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’m 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’s all I can believe. The prudent thing would be to wait, but I guess I’m not built for that wait."
At the Cannes Film Festival, the audience gave the Western epic a 10-minute standing ovation, moving the typically stoic Costner to tears.
Costner received a 10-minute standing ovation after the premiere of "Horizon" at Cannes. (Marc Piasecki/FilmMagic)
"It's a funny business, and I'm so glad I found it. There's no place like here. I'll never forget this, neither will my children," he said, per Variety.
Five of his children, Hayes, Grace, Annie, Cayden, and Lily, were in attendance with him for the premiere.
Costner's children Cayden Wyatt Costner, Lily Costner, Grace Avery Costner, Hayes Costner and Annie Costner attended the Cannes premiere of "Horizon" with him. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Costner shares Annie and Lily, along with a son, Joe, with ex-wife Cindy Silva. He shares Cayden, Hayes and Grace with ex-wife Baumgartner, and son Liam, with ex Bridget Rooney.
"I thank God for Cannes. I’m an independent filmmaker, essentially, and I’m here by myself," Costner told the AP ahead of the film’s premiere at the festival. "So, this is a high moment for me because it’s helping me create awareness for a movie. I don’t have all the money in the world to expose this movie. But I have my time and a platform here."
