Inside Kevin Costner's Life as a Dad of 7: Lobster Dives, Volleyball Practice and Being an 'Uber Guy' (Exclusive)

Kevin Costner may be a Hollywood legend and all, but at the end of the day he's just like any other dad on the road.

"I'm an Uber guy," he says in this week's cover story. "I'm not any different than anybody else!"

Indeed, Costner, who tops the list of PEOPLE's 100 Reasons to Love America in this week's 2024 celebratory issue, often finds himself shuttling his three younger kids, Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner, between friends' houses, school, and volleyball practices.

"They're like shooting stars," says Costner, who is also dad to four adult kids, Annie, 40, Lily, 37, Joe, 36, and Liam, 26. "My life is driving up and down the freeway just trying to get the children where they think they need to be... but that’s part of the job."

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The tight-knit Costner clan grew up surfing, spearfishing, lobster-diving and naming "every critter in the tide pool," says the star, who cherishes family time at their home in the Santa Barbara area that boasts views across the Pacific.

"They surf, and they dive, and we spear fish…We use every inch of the ocean, and the property…It's a perfect place for us."

Costner has long found unwavering support in his family and his kids remain the "anchor" of his life. "They know that I have this chosen work, but honestly, I'm really clear about where my responsibility absolutely lies at the end of the day," the star says.

When he's not playing driver for Grace and Hayes, both of whom are on volleyball teams, Costner manages to keep his kids close another way: by casting them in his films. His older three kids, for instance, were all in Dances with Wolves as youngsters. "I'm locked in a 70-millimeter film with my children," he says of his Oscar-winning 1990 western epic. "Those were my home movies."

His youngest son, Hayes, makes his acting debut in Costner's new and highly ambitious western, Horizon: An American Saga, and his son Joe has a role in the upcoming third chapter of the planned four-part series. 

Hayes, for one, loved the extra time with his father. "It felt like the greatest way that we could bond over something we both love and to create lasting memories together," the teenager tells PEOPLE. "Working with my dad was an unforgettable moment in time."

Even better? The chances to steal away for father-son fishing trips, says Hayes: "It’s more about spending time together and talking...It's those quiet, peaceful moments that I cherish the most."

For more from Kevin Costner's exclusive interview, please pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on stands now.