Yellowstone Star Kevin Costner on His Love for Horse-riding: “I actually direct out of the saddle sometimes!”

Iconic star Kevin Costner talked about how he often shot scenes for Yellowstone while riding on horseback because he was too tired to walk!

Credits: Paramount+

Yeah… that’s a skill that only Yellowstone star Kevin Costner can possess, and he is damn proud of it too. The actor, who looks like a cowboy, has found fame through some iconic roles in television shows and movies.

One of his most prominent and famous roles was that of John Dutton in the 2018 Taylor Sheridan show Yellowstone. Although the main actor, Kevin Costner, often had the opportunity to direct an episode, he did it the good-old John Dutton way!

Kevin Costner directed his episodes while on horseback!

Well, that’s the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. Although renowned directors might be doing it all the time while making cowboy movies, Kevin Costner is one of the first people to say it out loud.

Kevin Costner in a still from Yellowstone | Credits: Paramount+

According to Costner, he is a pretty average rider himself, but what he does know is how to give directions while being on horseback on the sets of Yellowstone.

The actor revealed in an interview with The Talks, that he would often be on horseback when the shoot would be over a hundred yards away, and he would be too tired to walk all the way there.

I actually direct out of the saddle sometimes! I’ll have to go 100 yards that way, and sometimes I just tire of walking over there, saying this and that, and walking back, so I ride.

He continued,

I’m an average rider, but I don’t consider myself a cowboy. I’m not afraid to do it, I may look like I know how to do it well, but I would never pretend that’s who I am.

Although a celebrated star, Kevin Costner didn’t always have his way when it came to making films as an actor. Sharing a love for Western movies and the genre, Costner often had to pick up arms himself.

That is how Costner came to be sitting in the director’s chair for the 2024 film Horizon: An American Saga. Since no one really believed in him, Costner had no choice but to direct the film himself!

Why Kevin Costner chose to direct Horizon by himself!

After his fallout with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner announced that he was going to direct and star in a Western film of his own titled Horizon: An American Saga.

Kevin Costner in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024) | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

As the interview continued, Costner revealed that when he had pitched his story of Horizon: An American Saga, many directors had refused to direct it. Facing rejection from everywhere, Costner decided to make the film himself.

You know, I’ve always thought that other people can direct better than me. But on this particular film, Horizon, almost no one believed in it, not even another director. So I decided that I would direct it!

He continued,

One of the things I started to think about was that in all the Westerns we’re watching these days, we always come to a town that’s already there. And so there was conflict over how these towns even emerged. So that’s something I wanted to explore.

Well, despite the efforts put in by Costner, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 didn’t manage to fare too well in theaters across the world. This didn’t stop Costner, and the second part was released recently in theaters.

The 2024 movie currently stands at a rating of 6.6/10 on IMDb and 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. The third part is currently put on hold and is in the TBA state at the moment.

Horizon: An American Saga is available to stream on Netflix (USA).