The movie Kevin Costner is “proudest of”
When you have worked in Hollywood for as long as Kevin Costner has, there is no escaping the fact that your career will come with an array of ups and downs. The downs have come relatively recently, as some of the actors and directors’ newest projects are falling short of the mark, highlighting an inability to capture tension in the film’s quieter moments. However, this doesn’t take away from the barrage of accolades that Costner has wracked up during his time in cinema.
Cut to an un-named restaurant, 1991. Costner sits in the venue he hired for himself and the 50 people he invited to the Academy Awards. Dotted around will be seven of the prestigious little gold statues, clutched by various individuals involved in Dances with Wolves, as the film swept the awards that night and saw Costner experience one of his proudest moments.
This isn’t to say that Costner didn’t have an exceptional career before this, though. Despite not beginning his work in Hollywood until his mid-20s, it didn’t take long for him to cement himself as one to watch. There were a string of iconic film roles that turned the heads of movie buffs and production companies everywhere. These included the likes of Silverado, The Untouchables and Field of Dreams.
Despite the above movies all doing well, Costner was never considered for an Academy Award until 1990. He starred in and directed Dances with Wolves, a film that captured the hearts of the people of America as it saw a Civil War soldier befriend wolves and Native Americans after he was assigned to a remote Western outpost.
While Costner recognises the fact that he has done a lot with his career that he is proud of, thanks to the success of this film and the range that it displayed in his capabilities as an actor and director, it is hardly a surprise that he looks back on it so fondly. “The thing I’m proudest of is: If somebody comes up to me, what’s going to come out of their mouth doesn’t boil down to a single movie,” he said.
He reflected on the night of the Academy Awards, having good memories but also recalling how unknown the territory was. “I didn’t even really know how to behave after I won,” he confessed, “I caught a little bit of flak because I didn’t go to any of the after-parties. I didn’t know you were supposed to. I thought people that went there knew all those people.”
Instead, Costner took his guests to a private restaurant, where they celebrated together, “So, I got my own restaurant because I had bought 50 tickets for people to be at the Oscars, and I made a party for them. I didn’t realise you [were supposed to] make the rounds.”