Who else has the same grace behind and in front of the camera as Kevin Costner when it comes to bringing the rough landscapes of Westerns to the big screen? From Open Range to Dances With Wolves, the Oscar winner, 69, has not only evoked the spirit of the American frontier but also left an indelible mark on the film industry over his four-decade career.
His dedication to the work shines through in his smartly picked roles and his meticulous approach to acting. Celebrating his recent directorial sensation, Horizon: An American Saga, which recently made waves at Cannes, Costner’s connection to the method of storytelling is apparent. Well, currently, he is stirring the news with both his direction and a headline-grabbing entanglement with Yellowstone’s creators.
But this is not the first time he has clashed with his directors. Dwelling further into his resume, consider the time that, worried about character consistency, Costner initially rejected Hidden Figures. And then it took director Theodore Melfi’s assurance that he would revise the actor’s role.
Hidden Figures Revisited: Kevin Costner’s Change of Heart
Kevin Costner has been in the industry for over four decades and has a particular process when it comes to acting. However, the veteran actor is currently garnering attention for his latest directorial project, Horizon: An American Saga, and his dispute with the makers of the television series Yellowstone.
There was friction between Costner and Taylor Sheridan because of the actor’s scheduling conflicts with his film. Interestingly, the former had a similar experience when he was offered the role of Al Harrison in 20th Century Fox’s Hidden Figures.
Initially, the actor rejected the role as he felt that the character was inconsistent and not something he was comfortable with. For this reason, Costner expressed his disinterest in taking on the role and informed director Theodore Melfi about the same. Back in 2016, the actor shared with Vulture:
I love writers, but this was a moment where I had to come very clean with him, very quickly. I just said, simply, ‘Congratulations on the screenplay. It’s not my M.O. to come in and want to change things because of some weird pride of authorship, but this part is difficult. It’s schizophrenic’. And he was quiet, and I thought, ‘Well, f*ck. I just hurt his feelings and I didn’t want to do that’.
However, Melfi assured Costner that they would work on the character together and ultimately won the actor over.
How Theodore Melfi Won Kevin Costner’s Heart: Lessons for Taylor Sheridan?
With its inspiring tale of three female African-American mathematicians, Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), who soared to an astounding $236 million in worldwide box office earnings (Box Office Mojo), who could have predicted that Hidden Figures would do more than just inspire?
And yet, Theodore Melfi’s helmed flick did just that while also earning three Oscar nods, emphasizing its universal appeal. But, as we mentioned above, the film faced script challenges that Kevin Costner, one of its stars, confronted head-on, fostering a spirit of collaboration that ultimately improved the story.
Costner said that the first draft’s depiction of his character did not sit well with him. Director Theodore Melfi reportedly assured him that he would revise the character, even though the actor had originally rejected it. The Man of Steel star told Vulture:
He goes, ‘I’ll do it. And we’ll do it together.’ I said, ‘Really?’ And he said, ‘Really.’ Listen, a lot of people will promise you a lot of things to get you in a movie, and then all of a sudden, reasons will come along as to why they can’t do them anymore and that promise gets broken. That didn’t happen with Ted. He was very true to me about his pledge to make this be a supporting part that supported these women and this movie.
Well, the actor’s experience with Melfi serves as a valuable lesson for filmmakers, particularly Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, who reportedly did not make changes to his script. Costner had signed on for seven seasons of the TV series, but the show will now end after five seasons.
That being said, Sheridan & other filmmakers should take heed of Melfi’s approach to ensure a successful and harmonious working relationship with their cast and crew.
Hidden Figures is streaming on Disney+, while Yellowstone is available on Peacock.
