Kevin Costner is a wonderful father.
On Monday, June 24, the Academy Award winner celebrated the Los Angeles premiere of his Western epic Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1 at the Regency Village Theatre with the presence of five of his seven children.
On the red carpet, Costner, 69, posed for pictures surrounded by his children: Annie, 40; Joe, 36; Cayden, 17; Grace, 14; and Hayes, 15, who is in the movie. The actor did not attend the occasion with his son Liam, 27, or daughter Lily, 37.
After decades of planning the film’s production, Costner, who also co-wrote, directed, and starred in the multi-part Horizon, says he was soaking up the occasion in an interview with people.
“It’s pretty gratifying to understand my children are somewhere watching over me, which they always do—yet you can imagine that feeling,” he says. “For a studio [distributor Warner Bros.] to line up behind it to create this environment for us, to celebrate this movie we worked so hard for and one I’ve dreamed about so long,” he says.
Regarding whether or not his children have seen Horizon, Costner replies that they did, having seen it with him at the May Cannes Film Festival.
He laughs and tells people, “I brought them with me to France, but they’re anxious to see it without subtitles.”
Along with his son Liam from a previous relationship with Bridget Rooney, Costner also has Annie, Lily, and Joe with his ex-wife Cindy Silva.
In September 2004, the Wyatt Earp actor married designer Christine Baumgartner, with whom he later had Cayden, Hayes, and Grace.
Costner gave a speech in advance of Monday night’s showing in which he discussed the “true journey” involved in bringing Horizon to life and expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed, particularly the actors who “breathed life into this story that started to bubble up in 1988.”
“My heart feels really big tonight,” he stated. “It’s the movies that remind me of who I want to be and how I want to act in specific situations. To me, they have always been like that. I’m conscious of who I want to see on screen and who I don’t. This Western will also test you, revealing your interests. Consider the journey to the west and the resourcefulness required to achieve it. It’s yours.”
Costner went on, “If you ever wonder, ‘[Was I] tough enough?,’ you are.” It was a risk, but you could have emerged victorious. And I’ve attempted to turn this march from the sea to the shining sea into a movie. So, proceed west on this ride.”