BTN News: This morning’s top media is Kevin Costner’s controversial announcement that his 15-year-old son – Hayes, is now cast in Costner’s upcoming film “Horizon: An American Saga”. Costner defends his decision to cast inexperienced Hayes and shares his personal touch and a chance to star with his son.
Kevin Costner did some headline grabby casting last week when he cast in his latest film project, “Horizon: An American Saga,” his son, Hayes. The move also marks an unusual end run around an audition process and raises eyebrows and concerns in some quarters about the fairness of casting. Costner, whose many acting and directing credits include “Dances With Wolves,” said in a recent interview that the decision may have been a bit selfish but that getting his son involved was something special to him. As the actor portrayed Nathaniel Kittredge in the Civil War-era Western, a role that demanded just a brief amount of filming but left a lasting impression on Costner.
Costner revisited the choice saying, “That’s just the way of the world and I can see now what an asshile I am, it isn’t like there’s not seven other 23-year-old guys right behind me, or seven more actors or whatever, but I wasn’t used to that. Despite this, he also commended Hayes’ portrayal as being ‘very sophisticated’ and recognized him for his ability to bring some emotional grounding to the role despite his overall inexperience.
For Costner, Nathaniel holds a personal meaning — he named his son after the character Hayes inhabited in the movie, Hayes Ellison. It has deepened the storyline and the meaning of Hayes’ participation for Costner, who perceived the woman as family.
The “Bodyguard” and “Yellowstone” actor has a blended family with seven children, who include Hayes as well as his brothers Cayden and Grace. Throughout his career, Costner’s family dynamic has been a stabilizing factor, validating his style of filmmaking and casting.
Kevin Costner at the recent Cannes Film Festival with five of his seven children – and the difficulties of keeping so many kids in line at a major family function. This unique mix of personal and creative inspiration continues to influence T.J. in his professional decisions from his devotion to family and filmmaking.
In the end, Kevin Costner’s choice in casting his son on “Horizon: An American Saga” shows a mix of filial pride and creative output. Some of that share has to do with the relationship between father and son when it comes to movies; the word on Hayes Costner’s work has been strong, even after a quick roll of the eyes.
