The Yellowstone star says he knows his target audience.
Actor and director Kevin Costner has stated that he ‘makes movies for men’.
The 69-year-old rose to fame during the 1980’s playing very physical and masculine characters in films such as The Untouchables and The Bodyguard.
While promoting his new film Horizon: An American Saga Part One, Costner appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, where he opened up about how he navigates gender relations in his work as a director and writer.
“Whenever you start writing, you start writing and you go, ‘Where’s the woman?’ It just drove the story in every plot line. I hardly couldn’t conceive of a scene that didn’t involve women or a young girl raised by a strong woman,” Kevin said.
He clarified: “I make movies for men. That’s what I do. But I won’t make a movie unless I have strong women characters, and that’s how I’ve conducted my career.
“I think that’s why I have a good following. I thank you women for dragging your men here. it was a Western after all.
“I just can’t conceive of a movie without having [strong women],” he added.
Costner has won two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director in recent years, and he appears as a triple threat in Horizon, where he writes, directs and stars.
The film chronicles 15 years of life in the American West, led by Kevin’s grumpy loner, Hayes Ellison, and also starring Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Ella Hunt and Abbey Lee.
Costner’s real-life son, Hayes, also appears in what is scheduled to be a four-part franchise.
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Costner’s co-parenting was the subject of headlines last year when his ex-wife, Christine Baumgartner, revealed that she would have to “enter the workforce” after her child support payments were cut to $63,209 a month.
The pair, who conceived three children together, were embroiled in a lengthy divorce hearing at the time, during which Baumgartner sought $161,592 in financial support from the Hollywood actor.
Talking about how she planned to support herself after the divorce, she said: “I will look into the steps I need to take and any schooling I need to do, and I will enter the workforce.”
While he was on the stand, Costner said his world has been “a little shook up” since divorce proceedings began.
The Bodyguard actor said: “I have to take care of obligations that are already in place, I have a lot of responsibilities I have to take care of.
“I need to figure out how I’m going to spend more time with the children, walk them through this process. I am going to need to take some time for myself.
“I have a lot to contemplate — what I have to do versus what I want to do.”
Costner was eventually ordered to pay $129,000 (£99.7k) in monthly child support.
