yellowstone-star-kevin-costner-explained-knew-getting-older-through-stunts

‘Yellowstone’ Star Kevin Costner Explained How He Knew He Was ‘Getting Older’ Through Stunts

“‘I’ve done things where, if I make a mistake, I could die.” Even before ‘Yellowstone’ brought its beyond-healthy dose of danger into Kevin Costner‘s life, the icon was already seeing significant changes in the way he handles his Hollywood stunts.

In 2014, Kevin Costner was busy promoting the release of his crime thriller with Amber Heard, ‘3 Days to Kill.’ The film, like so many from his library, was action-intensive, to say the least. Costner’s character, Ethan Renner, is an international spy within, and has to give his high-stakes lifestyle one more spin before he can give it all up to live a quiet family life. In short: there were a lot of stunts.

One particular ‘3 Days to Kill’ press conference would see the future ‘Yellowstone’ lead touch on just how “challenging the film’s physicality was,” Collider notes, with Costner divulging how much had changed for him already back in 2014.

“I’ve been evolving in my stunt career,” he began. “It used to be that my stunt guy and I would talk about it, and talk about when it was time for him to take over.”

Around the film’s making, however, things began to change for Costner. “The way you know you’re getting older,” he says, “We’d look at the thing and he’d go, “You could make it.”  I could tell that he’s started getting scared.  I said, “I can’t.”  So, there is an evolving thing.”

“Fortunately” for the ‘Yellowstone’ icon, he said he “didn’t have that over” at the time thanks to a new stunt coordinator.

‘Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner: ‘I’ve done things where, if I make a mistake, I could die’

“You have to measure things, he continued of his more physical work. “Whenever you can put the audience in the car, on the horse, or carrying your daughter, they’re now in the movie.  But stunts have always had their place, and I have to measure them now.”

While this may not seem like an unexpected change to fans of Kevin Costner, then about to turn 60, the star says he’s “done things where, if I make a mistake, I could die.”

“You really need to look at each thing,” he emphasized. “So, I have gone from doing everything, to listening and saying, “Maybe I shouldn’t do this…”

A wise choice, surely. Now, just a few months after the 66th birthday of ‘Yellowstone’s own John Dutton, Costner continues to do as many stunts as he can. Just… a lot more cautiously. For a man whose other life passion is ranching, horse-riding Costner says there are a few things he’ll never give up until he has no choice – and the saddle is chief among them.