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Kevin Costner
| Article
# : |
19702 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1991 |
3,026 Words |
| Author
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John C. Tibbetts
John C. Tibbetts, an associate professor of theater and film
at the University of Kansas, contributes regularly to national
music publications and is editor of the recently published
Dvorak in America.
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"Sometimes you have to take the direct way, even if it means going over the tops of the cars," said Kevin Costner to me during our first interview in 1987 in Washington, D.C. He was describing a chase scene in his picture No Way Out. He was casual about the interview. His hair was tousled and his manner affable; he wore no socks. He seemed uncomfortable talking about his career--he just wanted to talk stunts.
"You run risks when you do these chases and falls," he said in that quiet, deliberate voice of his. "But the rewards are such that when you do them yourself, you can put the audience right on that horse with you, or right in the crash with you, or right through the windshield. And we all can relate to a person running for his life. You run desperately, not gracefully. When I run from the villains and head across the street, I don't go around, I don't take the long way around, I take the direct way--you know, over the top."
By the time we met again a year later, two more films, The Untouchables and Bull Durham, were confirming Costner as one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. This time we were in Los Angeles and I noticed things had spiffed up a bit. His hair was combed and he wore socks. Round glasses perched primly on his nose. His easy-going manner had given way to a posture that was more formal. Occasionally as he talked he scanned the room from the corners of his eyes. But if he were apprehensive, somehow, about his new status as screen star, he still spoke with that same slow, mild drawl, and he still enjoyed most discussing the stunts and athletics of his roles.
Playing Ball, Too
"Those were the kinds of movies that I admired when I was a kid--I always liked the guys who were physical. I identified with them, for better or worse. I didn't identify with the intellects. I'm probably not one myself."
In Bull Durham, Costner insisted they shoot in a single take one of the scenes to ensure his authority as a ball player. "What do you want me to do, admit that it took a lot of takes to get that shot?" laughed Costner. "Destroy any confidence you might have had about my credibility as a ball player?" He adjusts his glasses, a constant habit. He admits that for a long time he had wanted to play professional ball. If he couldn't do that, at least he could really play in the movies.
"Look, I told the director, Ron Shelton, that I
...
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