Kevin Costner couldn’t help but gush over son Hayes’ acting debut in Horizon: An American Saga.
“I named him after the character I play in this. My character’s named Hayes Ellison,” Costner, 69, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, April 9. “And I named Hayes [after] that character. So I was watching him grow up and I was thinking, ‘Man, I better get with it and make this movie!’”
Costner acted, directed and produced the two-part Horizon: An American Saga, which has been over three decades in the making.
“So I captured him and I brought him on, and he’s very good in this small part that he’s done,” Costner added. “If you see it, I think he has an impact on the movie.”
Kevin Costner’s Son Hayes Set to Appear in Actor’s New Film
When asked whether Hayes, 15, had to audition for the role, Costner confessed he didn’t.
“No, listen. I don’t give great parts away. I understand that there’s young actors out [there] that would kill for these parts,” Costner said. “And so mine have to respect the profession. But in certain instances, this was something I thought he could handle. I wanted him close and so I did it. So we’re locked together in a film forever. Actually, I’m not in any scenes with him, but I directed him when he was little and now he’s big.”
Costner shares Hayes, son Cayden and daughter Grace, with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner. He’s also a dad of daughters Annie and Lily and sons Joe and Liam from previous relationships.
Horizon also stars Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Michael Rooker, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jeff Fahey, Will Patton, Tatanka Means, Owen Crow Shoe, Ella Hunt and Jamie Campbell Bower.
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As for whether he’s nervous ahead of the project’s release, Costner told Entertainment Tonight that he’s not. “I feel really good about what this movie [is], what it does to me,” he added. “It was the kind of movie that I hoped someone would make for me. That’s what I like to see.”
Costner previously praised his son while sharing a trailer of the project via Instagram in March 2024. “When it’s your movie you get to pick who you hang out with 
,” Costner wrote. “Really proud of my son, Hayes, for making his acting debut in #HorizonAmericanSaga. And thanks to all of you for the love you’ve shown our trailer this week. I couldn’t be more excited to share this with you.”
After Baumgartner filed for divorce from Costner in May 2023, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that he felt “betrayed” by her, but he “wanted to take the high ground” and had been focusing on his children and Horizon. “Kevin doesn’t want to waste more time fighting with Christine,” the insider added in the August 2023 cover story.
Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 hits theaters on June 28, followed by Chapter 2 on August 16.
