Kevin Costner has taken all kinds of film roles in his storied career. He has been a legendary law enforcement good guy in "The Untouchables," a baseball player in "For Love of the Game," and a loyal bodyguard in, of course, "The Bodyguard."
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I think of these and other characters Costner has played as strongly principled heroes. They have human flaws and foibles like the rest of us, but manage to grapple with them head-on. What does this gifted actor look for when he chooses the roles he plays in films and television? What does the concept of heroism mean to him?
Costner recently visited Fox News Channel's The Will Cain Show to talk about his new Fox Nation series, Yellowstone to Yosemite. (Watch video HERE.) During his chat with Cain, Costner also discussed how he selects the film parts that appeal to him.
Kevin Costner Defines What Heroism Means To Him -And It's Not What You Might Think
According to the Academy Award-winning actor and director, heroism can be quiet and subtle. Like the dedicated, conscientious mom who works three jobs and is exhausted at the end of the day, but always manages to cook a hot meal for her kids. Or the person who does the right thing even when no one is looking and they get no fanfare.
Costner explained, "In movies, we can sometimes depict that, and we lay music to it. And, suddenly, we know who's important. Suddenly, we know who is powerful, who's a hero, a hero in her own family, that she would work that way to make life better for her children."
He added, "So, for as phony as movies are in certain instances, the truth is, when we watch them in the dark, and we see people -- we see notions of people just standing up for something when it's not convenient, but they know it to be true or believe it to be true, that says something. And when I watch it, I think to myself, well, that's who I want to be. I'd like to be that. And I think we can find those things in movies."
