Kevin Costner names the movie that was “perfect” for him
Considered by many fans to be a national treasure, Kevin Costner has definitely left his mark as one of his generation’s most renowned leading men. Ranging from The Untouchables to Field of Dreams, Costner has made several iconic outings throughout his tenure as a Hollywood regular that have contributed to the establishment of his acclaimed filmography.
Even in the later stages of his career, Costner has transitioned into roles that highlight his strengths as an artist, earning critical acclaim along the way. The perfect example of this is the celebrated neo-western series Yellowstone, featuring the American actor in a complex drama about a family steeped in conflicts due to their vast ranch near the eponymous national park.
Winning a Golden Globe for his incredible performance on the show, it’s fair to say that Yellowstone has proved to be a perfectly appropriate highlight for the latter half of his journey as an actor. However, there are some other projects that Costner ranks high in terms of his list of impactful appearances that defined his craft as well as his future in the industry.
During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, the Hollywood star reflected on his eventful decades in the industry and highlighted one 1980s movie as the kind of role that he was born to play. In fact, you can even draw a line from the western in question to the neo-western elements of Yellowstone, tracing Costner’s evolution as an actor.
The movie was none other than Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado, starring Costner alongside the likes of Kevin Kline and Danny Glover. Featuring narrative characteristics that are similar to not only American westerns but also the works of auteurs like Akira Kurosawa, it tells the story of four travellers who get sucked into a battle against corruption while fighting for justice in a small town.
“That was a really big, giant moment for me to be in Silverado,” Costner said. “I always felt that I would end up playing a laconic kind of western character. And here came this young guy full of juice… That was a perfect role for me. I’ve always known that it was a giant block in my foundation.”
Elaborating on his love for the genre and how he had always wanted to be a part of a project like that, he added: “I had a real comfort being on him bareback and doing loopy things… You can’t help but want to be the guy on the horse in a western. You don’t want to give that over to your double. You want to do it.”
While it was The Untouchables that truly cemented Costner’s status as a star, Silverado definitely paved the way by giving the emerging actor an incredible platform to demonstrate his talents.
