Kevin Costner On How He Got Into Westerns Long Before Yellowstone

According to Yellowstone star Kevin Costner, his father once told him he could be like the iconic John Wayne. It turns out Dad wasn’t far wrong, as while the actor first starred in baseball movies, Costner is best known for American Western movies and series. As his 2013 movie Open Range hits 20, the actor revealed why he first got into Westerns, long before the Paramount series, Yellowstone.

Kevin Costner and Western movies and series

Kevin Costner, 68, first had a major Western role in the 1985 movie, Silverado. Since then, he won two Oscars for his role in the 1990 movie Dances With Wolves and also starred in the titular role of Wyatt Earp in 1994.

In more recent years, the star who plays John Dutton in Yellowstone appeared in a three-part 2012 History Channel series Hatfields & McCoys, alongside the late Bill Paxton. Meanwhile, Costner starred in one of his personal favorites, the movie Open Range which premiered 20 years ago on August 15, 2003. In fact, the Golden Globe winner starred in and directed the movie, which was written by Craig Storper, based on the Lauran Paine novel, The Open Range Men.

In that movie, Kevin played a former gunslinger and Civil War vet, who was thrust back into action after a corrupt lawman (Michael Gambon) threatens him and his cattlemen. Other stars in the popular movie were Robert Duvall, Diego Luna, Annette Bening and Michael Jeter. If you missed the movie, you can watch the trailer here:

Interview with Kevin Costner about Westerns

According to Yahoo Entertainment, Costner was interviewed on Role Recall where he revealed how he became interested in Westerns. He said:

My dad really loved John Wayne. And he said to me, ‘You can do that,’ he told us. And of course, I can’t be John Wayne. But I have personally taken an interest in the American Western.

The movie became a box office success, grossing $68 million on a budget of $22 million. Meanwhile, the movie was liked by audiences and critics alike. Costner explained that he particularly loved the movie’s showdown, pitting Charley (Costner) and Boss (Duvall) against the ruthless Baxter (Gambon) and his men. Costner added:

That final shootout, a lot of people say that they really enjoy that. That’s been ranked as maybe the top shootout. So I’m very proud of that.

Even then, Kevin Costner said he will do “more of those” and he wasn’t wrong as three years later, he joined the cast of Yellowstone as patriarch John Dutton.

While the main series, Yellowstone, is coming to an end, fans do have sequels to look forward to. As for Costner, he is busy working on his own pet project, Horizon: An American Saga. The film is co-written, produced, directed by and starring Costner.

Moreover, it also stars Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Thomas Haden Church and Luke Wilson. The movie was filmed from August to November 2022, and three sequel movies have already been greenlit.

Fans aren’t likely to see the end of Kevin Costner in Western series and movies just yet, despite the fact he has left the role of John Dutton on Yellowstone.