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BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Kevin Costner attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman at The Beverly Hilton on February 04, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)© Jeff Kravitz

The bold reason Kevin Costner's son Hayes, 15, didn't have to audition for father's movie revealed

The Horizon: An American Saga creator has seven kids all together

Bryony Gooch
US Writer
May 22, 2024
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Kevin Costner couldn't help but praise his son Hayes, who appears in the first of his father's four-part American epic Western film, Horizon: An American Saga.

Responding to Jimmy Kimmel's quip about whether he had to pay for his son, now 15, to appear in the film, Kevin revealed that "he didn't have to audition".

Kevin Costner and his son Hayes Costner © Gisela Schober
Kevin Costner and his son Hayes Costner

He caveated this by explaining: "Listen, I know these parts are so important in people's career, so I don't just hand them out like candy", but he wanted his son to join him in the film.

Kevin had explained that he wanted to give Hayes a part that wasn't too big for him: "it wasn't over big, but it was something I could have him with me."

The Costner clan flank their dad Kevin© Getty
The Costner clan flank their dad Kevin

"The character I play is called Hayes Ellison, and I started this thing in 1988, and then in 2024 I'm finally making it", Kevin explained, outlining a special link between his son and the character he plays. 

"But I named my son Hayes. And he was 13 years old and I thought, I really have to make this movie", Kevin continued. "And I looked at him, and I said, "You know, I want you to be in this movie.'" 

Kevin Costner on Making Horizon: An American Saga, Ovation at Cannes & Meeting a Young Matt Damon

Kevin then teased that Hayes plays a particularly important role in the movie that will leave the audience feeling a lot of emotions. "If you see it, it's a devastating moment." 

He continued: "It's a moment you never want to have to experience, but the choice that he makes also will put a lump in your throat when you see what he does."

The entire press run for Horizon has been a family affair, as he brought five of his seven kids out to Cannes Film Festival, where he was premiering the long-awaited movie.

Kevin with his five children Annie, 40, and Lily, 37, from his first marriage to Cindy Silva, alongside Cayden, 17, Grace, 13, and Hayes, 15© Getty
Kevin with his five children Annie, 40, and Lily, 37, from his first marriage to Cindy Silva, alongside Cayden, 17, Grace, 13, and Hayes, 15

"I wanted them to see me work", he explained. "I brought five of them and got them tuxedos, I bought them dresses."

But it seems that having the kids along with him didn't totally work out. "The minute they got here, my two sons went fishing. Got a boat, went fishing." 

Meanwhile his three daughters ended up on a boat, with Kevin adding they: "said they'd see me around three or four o'clock with me working. They made a call and they were drinking drinks at this point. They cruised in around eight o'clock and I said 'We came to France as a family.' They went 'it's working great dad.'"

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