Open Range

“KEVIN COSTNER is back in the saddle.

For the first time since winning dual Oscars for 1990s Dances With Wolves, Costner is starring in and directing a western. It’s a drama about cattle drivers called Open Range and costars Annette Bening and Robert Duvall. The film, which is currently being shot on the Stoney Indian Reservation in western Canada, has a modest $23 million budget, which is why the three stars had to take reductions in their usual fees. The shoot has been a family affair. Bening, who has already completed her role, had her four children with her, while Costner’s children are frequent visitors to the set. The highlight for the kids? Seeing real cowboys in action at Calgary’s famous Stampede rodeo in July.”

(People Magazine, August 19, 2002)

*****Contains Minor Spoilers*****

McDermott's new amigos

By Rita Zekas

CALL IT a career giddy-up.

After years on the TV-movie/series horse, Dean McDermott is riding with the big boys now.

He is co-starring with Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Bening in the oater Open Range, which is shooting in Calgary. Costner is star/director/producer.

Oh-oh. Star/director/producer? Do we smell The Postman?

McDermott is back from a week of rehearsal and is hanging out with his family: Foodie wife Mary Jo Eustace and their 3 1/2-year-old son, Jack. Wife and son are at the wading pool area at RCYC (Royal Canadian Yacht Club) on Ward's Island.

We're taking tea on the terrace.

McDermott rides tall in the saddle: an imposing 6-foot 2-inches, pumped up with daily workouts.

"I got the call last Friday to fly out Monday for a week," McDermott explains.

McDermott plays Bening's brother, Dr. Barlow. She is also his nurse.

He is 36, but looks younger. Isn't he rather young to be a doctor -- specifically in the 1890s? When we think of doctors in westerns, we picture grizzled or dyspeptic Doc Holliday types.

"That was the one thing that might have been a deal-breaker," he allows. "Annette is late 40s but she can play late 30s, which is important because Annette and I have to pass for husband and wife because Costner has feelings for her. He and Duvall play cattle rustlers who come upon our small town, Harmonville. There they meet the crooked sheriff and wealthy cattle baron/cattle rustler who run the town. These two want to break up Costner and Duvall's herd and kill the two men."

The good doc Barlow patches up the good and bad guys indiscriminately.

"Costner's character is a good person going down the wrong road," McDermott clarifies.

But he is redeemed by the love of a good woman, no doubt.

This is McDermott's first Hollywood feature and he was Costner's personal choice. "I got cast off tape a month and a half ago," he ruminates, "so I thought it had gone away -- there is usually an expiry date on these things. To try something different, I gave him a limp, the result of polio as a child, and they loved it. They called to see if I was disabled and Gayle (Abrams, his agent) said, `It depends. If it helps him get a job, he's got a limp.'

"`The choice of limp is awesome,' Kevin told me. Back then, it would be Crazy Bill, the stableman, who would have a limp."

Or Chester, Matt Dillon's deputy.

Who knows, his character probably became a doctor because of the limp. He certainly couldn't have been a cattle rustler.

"My character can ride," he claims, "I have to ride as much as a doctor rides. I made house calls -- but in a town that small, I would probably walk."

All his scenes are with the holy trinity and McDermott admits it was daunting meeting them.

"I was scared to death," he chuckles, "I was so nervous that I would have nothing to say, that I would have no saliva in my mouth. I hoped I would kick into autopilot and my personality would come through. But they were so incredibly nice; they made me feel at home.

"During rehearsal, I asked Duvall to play golf but he said he had tender ribs."

Indeed. Duvall fractured ribs in April during a riding accident while preparing for the film. Hey, McDermott's doc could always patch him up. Turns out, that wasn't so far fetched a scenario.

"Duvall thought I was a doctor sent to give him his insurance exam," McDermott allows.

He didn't have to learn any medical jargon beyond "bring the alcohol, Billy's been hit.

"I learned so much just watching the three. Annette is amazing; she is on her way to becoming the female Duvall. Costner is real hands-on. He likes to explore scenes; he likes to `play' in a scene."

A born-and-bred Torontonian, he's been acting for 16 years. This is a real departure for McDermott: "This will be great on my resumé."

He played Constable Turnbull on Due South, "a good-natured doofus."

On Power Play, he played hockey team captain Mark Simpson. Unlike some of the leads, he'd been playing hockey since he was a kid.

After Power Play, there was a fallow year in which he played handyman.

"I found myself at a weird age," he reasons, "either too young or too old. I decide, I'm gonna build this huge deck in the backyard. Building that deck saved my life. I got so lost in it -- I love puzzles, crosswords -- I'd get pissed off if I got an audition.

"I'm the deck master; I give good deck." He's currently working on one at the family cottage.

McDermott was called away from deck duty to do a recurring role on the sci-fi series Earth: Final Conflict and Tracker. "On Earth, I was the good guy, love interest of the lead, Jane Heitmeyer. She's a fantastic woman -- don't tell my wife.

"We had a lot of fun, giggling through 16-hour days. I was Lieutenant Brent Michael, a special operations guy and I didn't even know what I did. I'm not a sci-fi guy.

"On Tracker, I was Detective Vic Bruno and I wandered around saving people and got shot at. I'd pick up a gun and it was, `who do I kill?'"

He did play a bad guy in an episode of Top Cops. "I was a carpet cleaner who was a homicidal maniac."

We always knew those spot removers were toxic.

McDermott knew he would be an actor, way back when he and his three older sisters would play dress-up.

"They dressed me up as a cowboy or pirate and there always was a scenario. When I got to be 8 or 10, we were bad guys moving 10 kilos of coke in Miami. I'd get horrible dying scenes when my friend gets shot and I'd have his head in my hand and I'd be vowing revenge."

McDermott lived in Los Angeles for two years when he was 18. He bunked in with his eldest sister.

"I chickened out of getting auditions," he recalls, "I worked under the table installing windows."

At the end of the two years, he decided to make the big move.

"I drove back to Toronto and vowed to get an agent and some head shots. I bullshitted a resumé, got an agent, and -- knock on wood -- I'm working with Costner, Bening and Duvall." The Toronto Star

Restaurant's seeing stars

by Kevin Williamson. Calgary Sun. 6-05-2002

Hollywood heavyweights Kevin Costner and Edward Norton had nothing to wine about at a Calgary restaurant May 5.

The two stars, in town preparing to film the big-budget western Open Range, escaped the unseasonably wintry conditions by dining at Osteria de Medici."They're great people. It wasn't the first time (they've dined here). They were here a little while back," owner Antonietta Terrigno said.However, they were less than impressed with the weather."They hate it. It's costing them money," Terrigno added.Norton, whose films include American History X and Fight Club, proved to be a wine connoisseur."He picked all of our best wines. He was very knowledgeable.Costner, who's directing the film, and Norton are expected to be in town for the next few days preparing for the shoot, which is now set to begin June 10 outside of Calgary.Robert Duvall, who's also starring in the production, wasn't on hand.It's one of two high-profile westerns riding into Calgary at the same time.Tom Selleck, who is preparing to shoot the TNT movie-of-the-week western Monte Walsh with Isabella Rossellini outside of the city as well, dined at the restaurant last month.Cameras on Monte Walsh will roll in late June.The projects have meant a mini-boom for local film industry professionals.More than 300 actors from Calgary and Edmonton have auditioned for roles in Open Range, with casting decisions expected shortly.

Calgary Sun.com

Costner at city eatery.

By ANIKA VAN WYK, SHOWBIZ EDITOR. Tuesday, June 4, 2002

Kevin Costner is ready to dance with fish.

The Oscar-winning actor/director is back in Calgary to work on his next film Open Range.

But if his busy schedule allows -- he's both directing and starring in the western -- the Dances With Wolves actor wants to go fishing.

"My passion is fly fishing," Costner said last night.

The Sun caught up with Costner as he was leaving the Osteria de Medici restaurant in Kensington, where the star of Waterworld dined on Scaloppina Maria Helena, a veal dish with asparagus creme sauce and angel hair pasta and a 1998 bottle of Tignanello.

STAR TAKEN WITH CALGARY

"Calgary represents one of the most beautiful places in the world," Costner said. "We're going to make a great American move in Canada."

But when asked what Open Range is about, the personable Costner was a little coy.

"If you've seen my movies, you know they are a little long," he said with a smile.

"It reflects how men and women really behave, it's very much like Dances With Wolves."

Co-starring with Costner will be Annette Bening, Robert Duvall, Diego Luna, Abraham Benrubi and Michael Jeter.

In April, Duvall broke several ribs when he fell off a horse preparing for this shoot.

"He's doing great, he's like a 40-year-old," said Costner, who is now sporting a beard and moustache. Open Range is set to begin filming later this month.

Calgary News!

Iowa's Fun for Families

‘Field of Dreams,’ State Parks and More

By Chelle Koster Walton. FamilyFun

June 3 — A state best known for corn may not seem like a great vacation destination, but eastern Iowa's Dubuque and Dyersville, and Galena just across the Mississippi River in Illinois, are jam-packed with fun.

All within 40 miles of one another, the three towns may have a combined population of only 65,000, but the opportunities for learning and adventure are endless. Dyersville is home to the Field of Dreams movie site, Dubuque is a scenic river town perched on limestone bluffs and peppered with Victorian mansions, and Galena is the hometown of President Grant. Field of DreamsField of Dreams Field of Dreams Movie Site (28963 Lansing Rd., 319-875-8404 or 888-875-8404), the site of the movie that equated Iowa with heaven, is the center of attention in farm town Dyersville. If you're a baseball fan, or a Kevin Costner fan, drive out and whack a couple into the cornfield or buy a vial of souvenir dirt. (Go the second to last Sunday of every month, June through September, to watch the movie's original ghost players at bat; call 319-875-6012.)

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Annette set to ride Range

by Kevin Williamson. Calgary Sun. 05-28-02

Annette Bening is riding into Calgary with Kevin Costner.

Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening has finalized a deal to star opposite Costner in the western Open Range, which begins filming here next month.

The Oscar-nominated actress has finalized a deal to star opposite Costner in the western Open Range, which begins filming here next month, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed yesterday.The Sun first reported last week that Bening, who starred in American Beauty and Bugsy, was negotiating to join the film, which Costner is also directing.Open Range, which is being produced by Costner and David Valdes (Unforgiven), is about four men living in the old west — Costner, Robert Duvall, Diego Luna from And Your Mother Too (Y Tu Mama Tambien) and ER's Abraham Benrubi — who team up against the ruthless rancher (Gosford Park's Michael Gambon) terrorizing their town.Bening will play Costner's love interest. Production is currently set to get underway June 17.The actress is married to legendary Hollywood actor Warren Beatty. The couple has four children.Character actor Michael Jeter (The Green Mile) has also joined Open Range in the past week.Further casting decisions are expected shortly, after hundreds of Alberta actors auditioned for roles earlier this spring.Also filming here this summer is the western Monte Walsh, starring Tom Selleck and Isabella Rossellini. The movie-of-the-week is scheduled to air on the U.S. cable network TNT in 2003.

Calgary Sun.com

Bening in our Range

by Kevin Williamson

Calgary Sun 05-25-02

Annette Bening may be home on our Range.

The Oscar-nominated actress is negotiating to star opposite Kevin Costner in the western Open Range, which begins filming in Calgary next month, Bening’s representatives told the Sun yesterday.

If she does sign on, Bening — whose credits include Bugsy and American Beauty — would join Costner, who’s also directing, and Robert Duvall.

The film — which is being produced by Costner and David Valdes (Unforgiven) — is described as a revenge saga about four men living in the old west.

The four will be portrayed by Costner, Duvall, Abraham Benrubi (ER) and Diego Luna, from And Your Mother Too (Y Tu Mama Tambien), currently at the Uptown.

Bening is married to Hollywood legend Warren Beatty. The couple have four children.

Two veteran actors have also joined the film recently — Michael Jeter, who acted opposite Costner in Waterworld and has appeared in The Green Mile and Jurassic Park III; and Michael Gambon (Gosford Park).

Shooting is set to begin June 17. Work on the project continues to proceed locally.

Wendy Partridge, owner and operator of Calgary-based Momentum Design, is supplying more than 100 costumes to the filmmaker. Partridge, who worked on Blade 2, says Open Range is “more intimate". It’s more about the characters than scenes of thousands of extras.

“It’s great to be doing it. They’re a wonderful group of people.”

Benrubi home on 'Range' with Costner, April 22, 2002

Diego Luna and Abraham Benrubi have joined the cast of the Kevin Costner-directed "Open Range," which the Walt Disney Co. is distributing. The project begins production in June in Calgary, Alberta, with Costner also starring alongside Robert Duvall. Written by Craig Storper, "Range" is about the day-to-day travails of four men (Costner, Duvall, Benrubi and Luna) living in the West. "ER" veteran Benrubi's character, Mose, is described as a gentle giant who doesn't start fights but does finish them. Luna ("Y Tu Mama Tambien") plays Buttons, a teen with a troubled past who is seen by the group as having the potential to become a truly great man. Costner and David Valdes are producing the project through their Tig Prods.

Storper also is producing. Luna, repped by UTA, next stars in Miramax Films' "Frida" and Screen Gems' "Vampires: Los Muertos." Benrubi,repped by Stone Manners, has appeared in such films as "George of the Jungle" and "Twister." (Zorianna Kit)

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More News on Open Range

Wide Range of talent

By KEVIN WILLIAMSON

CALGARY SUN

Alberta's actors have good reason to feel tall in the saddle. Even before learning if they've roped any roles in Kevin Costner's new western Open Range, they've already earned high marks from the producers.

"They were very impressed with the talent here," Jackie Lind of Jackie Lind Casting told the Sun yesterday after three weeks of auditions, which are now drawing to a close. She estimates at least 300 actors from Calgary and Edmonton tried out for a chance to appear opposite Costner and co-star Robert Duvall.

"They're over the moon about the chance to work with this calibre of production," Lind says. "Overall, we had some very solid auditions." The tryouts are taped here and sent to the producers to view in Los Angeles. The movie, which Costner is directing, begins filming June 3 in Calgary.

Lind auditioned performers for 21 roles, all of which were male except for a small female role. For the movie's female lead -- which has not been cast yet -- the filmmakers are seeking a marquee-value actress.

Open Range is described as being about the day-to-day travails of four men (Costner, Duvall, Abraham Benrubi and Diego Luna) in the West. The screenplay, Lind says, "is really good.

"It's funny -- it's a cowboy movie, and a lot of actors in Alberta are also cowboys, so they really responded to the script ...

"It's been one of the best experiences I've had ... It's been wonderful."

Wonderful, too, for the Alberta film industry, which, in addition to Open Range, has Monte Walsh, starring Tom Selleck and Isabella Rossellini in June; the mini-series DreamKeeper in May; and the TV pilot Everwood, which shot in Canmore and Calgary in March. "It's been very positive so far ... and it's only April," Lind says.

Jam Movies

Actors aim for Costner film By LISA WILTON Calgary Sun

Calgary actors were saddling up yesterday for their chance to act opposite Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall.

Auditions got underway for local thespians to land a part in Open Range, a western starring the pair that Costner will direct.

One city actor, who didn't want to be identified, says he did a pre-screen audition at the Canadian Casting Centre in the Currie Barracks. "Our auditions were videotaped so that they could be sent to the producers," he says.

Callbacks will likely happen in the next few weeks with the film expected to shoot in the Calgary area from June to August.

Another Calgary film and stage actor admits he was anxious auditioning because he had heard rumours that Costner would be in the room.

Those reports proved false, but, adds the actor, "It was a little nerve-wracking anyway because it's quite a big film.

"Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall have extensive scenes together and there's a chance you could be working on screen with them."

The actor, who's hoping to land one of more than 20 roles in his age range, admits competition will be tough because auditions were also happening in Edmonton, Vancouver and Toronto.

Canoe.com

In a recent article about Robert Duvall from the Sacramento Bee, the actor had this to say about recent projects: "'Last week, two phone calls came in that were the most exciting phone calls in a given day in my entire career," he said. "One was from the director who did 'Traffic' (Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh) and the other one was about a big black-and-white Western, with Kevin Costner directing. I haven't received the scripts yet. I'd love to do a Western again.'"

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A few weeks later an article in the Calgary Sun said that Kevin walked into a nightclub in Calgary where he "is reportedly scouting Calgary and area for a possible film shoot. He's expected to be in the city for the next several days." People who approached Kevin in the nightclub had nothing but praise for him: "'He's one of the biggest stars I'll ever meet. He shook my hand and seemed like a very genuine, nice guy,' says manager Patrick Soul, who met the actor."

see full story here

The Rapid City Journal reported that Kevin was in Deadwood, South Dakota last week at his restaurant, Jake's, in his Midnight Star casino. It seems he was there because he "commissioned a massive sculpture by Peggy Detmers, and he’s trying to find the right display spot."

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Costner riding 'Range' with Disney April 09, 2002 By Zorianna Kit

Academy Award winner Kevin Costner is returning to the director's chair for the first time in five years and, thematically, will explore some of the wide open spaces where he has enjoyed his greatest success.

The multihyphenate will direct, produce and star in the Western feature "Open Range" and is finalizing a deal to set it up at the Walt Disney Co.

Co-starring with Costner for the first time will be Robert Duvall. The project begins production in June in Calgary, Alberta.

Written by Craig Storper, "Range" is about the day-to-day travails of four men -- two of whom will be played by Costner and Duvall -- living in the West.

Costner and David Valdes are producing the project through their Tig Prods. Storper also is producing.

"It's a piece about a way of life coming to an end and the violence that accompanied it, which was the hallmark of settling the West," Costner said in an interview. "It is also a poetic piece that deals with a code of friendship and people who were willing to die abiding by that code."

Costner said he has long been drawn to the Western genre as evidenced by such projects of his as "Silverado," "Wyatt Earp" and "Dances With Wolves," which earned him best director and best picture Oscar wins.

"I enjoy the genre, the legacy and the history of it," he said. "And as a form of entertainment, I really respond to it."

Additionally, Costner said he was excited about doing business with Disney for the first time and in particular looks forward to working with Dick Cook, the newly named chairman of Walt Disney Studios.

"I've had a personal relationship with Dick Cook, and now it's evolved to a professional one, which is great," Costner said.

Costner is repped by CAA. Duvall is repped by his manager Rob Carliner.

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