Kevin Costner names his favourite westerns of all time: “There were certain dilemmas those movies established”
Kevin Costner is no stranger to hard work, with a long and arduous journey into the film industry that eventually led to him becoming one of the most iconic leading men of the modern western.
But this wasn’t an easy route for Costner, who started out in Hollywood by working on a fishing boat, driving bus tours and even starring in one adult film before finally making his way onto the big screen six years later. His breakout role was in The Big Chill, directed by Lawrence Kasdan, in which Costner was hilariously cut from the entire project and credited as a corpse in the titular role of the ‘dead friend’.
However, despite the cutting blow of not making the final cut, Costner then began a long and illustrious career after his performance in Silverado, with Kasdan finally making it up to him by casting him in the 1985 western. And this sent him down the orange path, which established the actor as somewhat of an authority on the genre. Since then, the actor has named his favourite westerns of all time, paying homage to the roots of the story that have defined his legacy on screen.
Throughout his time in Hollywood, Costner has starred in many westerns such as Dances with Wolves, Horizon: An American Saga and Open Range, directing many of them himself. It is clear that he is infatuated with the genre and recalls the film that first made an impression on him when he was just seven years old. Costner recalled the impact of How the West was Won, directed by John Ford and George Marshall in 1962.
It’s a classic historical epic about the development of the American west from the 1830s through to the civil war, all seen through the eyes of one family. Due to the scope and scale of the project, it’s understandable why this would have such an effect on a young Costner.
However, the actor also mentioned several other films, saying, “Liberty Valance was a really well-written screenplay. The Searchers was a well-written western. I think Fort Apache had a lot of really nice things in it. Rio Grande did, too. There were certain dilemmas that those movies established. They rooted me, and they talked to me about character—and, just as important, lack of character”.
The full title of the first film Costner describes is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and was also directed by John Ford, along with all the other films he mentions. Most of them star John Wayne in the led role, showing the clear impact that the storytellers had on his own work as some of the leading visionaries of the western.
Despite being in the industry for many years now, Costner is not yet bored of making westerns, recently starring in Yellowstone, an original Paramount series created by Taylor Sheridan. It follows a family called The Duttons, who own the largest ranch in America. However, as families do, they have their own internal conflicts and also have to work to defend and protect their land. Costner’s lasting lust for the genre is inspiring and just goes to show that it always pays off to stick it out and wait for the opportunity to work on something you’re truly passionate about.
