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Kevin Costner got candid about self-financing his new movie, “Horizon: An American Saga,” at a Cannes Film Festival press conference on Monday.
Costner put much of his own fortune into making the $100 million-plus film, including mortgaging his ranch. He directs and stars in the film, which he also produced and co-wrote.
When asked about his struggle to finance the film, Costner said, “I don’t know why it was so hard.”
“You saw the movie. I don’t know why it was so hard to get people to believe in the movie that I wanted to make,” he continued. “You know, I don’t think my movie is better than anybody else’s movie, but I don’t think anybody else’s movie is better than mine. I don’t go out into the world with something I don’t think is good.”
“Horizon” is meant to be a four-part saga, and Costner said he is currently trying to gather resources for its third installment. The second part is due out in August.
“I’ve knocked on every yacht to help,” Costner said. “Oh come on, I have a picture. Come get your checkbook out. Let’s talk money!”
Costner was also asked his view on racism in America. “I’m conscious of race. I live in a place called Compton, Calif. I funded a movie called ‘Black or White,’” he said. “It was my version of a level of racism that existed in our country.”
Regarding the representation of Native people in “Horizon” and why he didn’t tell the story from their perspective, Costner said, “The movie is a journey. It’s not a plot movie, and the Native Americans are represented. I don’t feel the need to try to balance the story. I just try to make it as real as I can.”
At its premiere on Sunday night, “Horizon” earned a seven-minute standing ovation as Costner grew visibly emotional.
The film, a two-part look at the expansion of the American west, is told from the prospective of the cattle ranchers, farmers and soldiers building a future for themselves in the region, as well as the Natives who lived there first.
“Horizon” opens on June 28 in the U.S. with the second chapter debuting in theaters on Aug. 16. The ensemble cast of “Horizon” includes Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Isabelle Fuhrman, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Jamie Campbell Bower and Thomas Haden Church.
