Kevin Costner’s favourite Kevin Costner-directed movie
If an artist can’t celebrate their own work then who can? So often creation comes with a level of insecurity. A degree of self-critique is necessary for greatness, it keeps people pushing on and improving. But at the end of the day, having confidence is just as vital. Kevin Costner knows that and isn’t afraid to pat his own back from time to time.
He’s more than earned the right to. After starting his career in the 1980s, the actor has a long list of credits across film and television, showing his talent in a broad array of projects. His acting made him a star, and it also made him a truly great director.
Following in the footsteps of so many other actors who have pivoted to a behind-the-camera role, he applied all the things he learnt in front of the lens to his work as a director. Having performed in so many projects, he has a perspective on it all. He knows how to get the best out of his actors because he knows how other directors got the best out of him. He knows how to tell a story and get inside a plot because he was a player in that mission before. He knows how to give his stories and characters feeling and motivation, because he’s so used to being the actor portraying them.
A lot of the time, he does both at once. It’s not that Costner’s move to directing was the end of his acting career. In most projects he’s had an off-camera part in, he’s also been in front of it, too, sometimes meaning that he’s directing himself.
But that works fine for him. Allowing him full control and meaning that he always gets the performance he’s looking for, because he’s the one performing, some of Costner’s favourite work was done when he was doing several jobs at once.
It’s not just his favourite of his career, but his favourite work, full stop. When asked by Letterboxd for his four favourite films, Costner wrapped up a lineup of classic titles with one of his own movies, daring to praise himself and celebrate the worth he sees in his work.
“I really enjoyed making Open Range, and I’m really comfortable now with finally just watching it,” he said, picking out his 2003 film. He not only starred in a leading role, playing cowboy Charley Waite, but Costner also produced and directed the flick, seemingly out to do it all.
It makes sense, then, that it took him a good while to reach this point of being able to simply watch and enjoy the movie without reflecting on every decision made and critiquing his choices. But now, he can watch it as if it’s not his at all or not his face on the screen. Included in a lineup of his favourite films like The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Costner’s ability to celebrate his work loudly and proudly is a trait that more artists ought to take note of.
