'I'm Not a Very Good Businessman': Kevin Costner Is Risking a Ton of His Own Money on New Project The "Yellowstone" star discussed how he bankrolled his new epic movies — and his accountant isn't happy.
By Dan Bova
In an interview with Deadline, the star of "Yellowstone" explained that he has mortgaged his $50 million home to finance his new project Horizon, a four-film series about pre-and post-Civil War expansion of the American West.
"I've mortgaged 10 acres on the water in Santa Barbara where I was going to build my last house," he told Deadline. "But I did it without a thought. It has thrown my accountant into a [f---ing] conniption fit. But it's my life, and I believe in the idea and the story."
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When asked if risking such valuable property gave him pause, Costner says he didn't blink. "At the end of the day, I'm a storyteller, and I went ahead and put my own money into it. I'm not a very good businessman, so, scratch your head, if you will. I don't know why, but I have not let go of this one. I've pushed it into the middle of the table three times in my career and didn't blink."
Costner is referring to the movies he previously funded with his own cash: 1990's Dances with Wolves, 1997's The Postman, and 2014's Black or White. The risk more than paid off with Dances with Wolves, earning Costner two Academy Awards, for best director and best picture.
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Costner, who was interviewed alongside Francis Ford Coppola, went on to break down what it is like to be a maverick working within the walls of major studios. "When you go into a studio and walk down the halls, you see all these posters of the movies they made. Unless you're the filmmaker, you really can't understand, forensically, how those movies went down: who almost killed it, who could have ruined it, who tried to ruin it and now puts it front and center on their wall," he explained. "We go in brave and certain about what we feel, but those voices can get inside you. There's fear about doing something that's a little bit original."
Costner expressed his excitement about Horizon on social media, but as he told Deadline, his enthusiasm has its limits, laughing, "I'll tell you what. I'm never gonna do this again. I'm never putting my fucking money in another movie after these four."
