Even as a newborn, Kevin Costner’s now-15-year-old son Hayes was inspiring his dad. The Yellowstone star revealed how his teen is partially responsible for Costner’s new film, Horizon: An American Saga, and the story is so sweet.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonightat CinemaCon in Las Vegas Tuesday, the 69-year-old shared that he first started working on Horizon in the late ‘80s, so he gave his son a moniker that would never let him forget about it. “I named him after the character I play in this. My character’s name is Hayes Ellison,” Costner told the outlet. “And I named Hayes that character. So I was watching him grow up and I was thinking, ‘Man, I better get with it and make this movie.'”
It’s actually kind of smart if you think about it. Costner named his son after his dream project, so every time he said his son’s name, he would think about the work he needed to do toward the film. (Maybe I should name my next child “Australia” so I can work toward my dream of visiting the continent one day?!)
Since the ‘80s, Costner has kept busy as an A-list actor, appearing in films like Tin Cup and Message in a Bottle. But Horizon was always, well, on the horizon for him.
After spending years writing the four-film saga with co-writer Jon Baird — and decades of other preparation — the Warner Bros. film was finally made. And in an amazing full-circle moment, Hayes-the-teenager will make his acting debut in the movie!
“I captured him and I brought him on, and he’s very good in this small part that he’s done,” Costner said. “If you see it, I think he has an impact on the movie.” How cool is that?
Costner, who shares Hayes, Cayden, 16, and Grace, 13, with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, acknowledges that a little bit of nepotism was in play here, as Hayes didn’t audition for the role. “I don’t give great parts away,” he explained. “I understand that there’s young actors out [there] that would kill for these parts. And so mine have to respect the profession. But in certain instances, this was something I thought he could handle. I wanted him close and so I did it. So we’re locked together in a film forever. Actually, I’m not in any scenes with him, but I directed him when he was little and now he’s big.”
In a 2022 interview with PEOPLE, Costner opened up about his parenting strategy — and it’s all about being a hands-on dad. “You’ve got to get down on the ground and play with them,” he told the outlet. “And you teach them to be independent — and the sad part about that is they become that. I’m like any other parent: I’m trying to figure it out.”
At the time, he also opened up about Hayes’ role in his upcoming film. “He’s very good,” Costner gushed. “But I kind of did it on purpose, so he could be hanging out with me. And the same thing for Cayden, same thing for Grace. ‘This is really neat. You should come be with me.'”
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