|
Hello Magazine 2001
I> HELLO MAGAZINE April 2001 There have been plenty of ups and downs in Hollywood heart throb Kevin Costner’s life, but the 46 year old Californian, who has never lost faith in himself, is currently on cloud nine and looks like he'll be riding high for a while. After seven years of emotional wilderness following his divorce from Cindy Silva - his wife for 16 years with whom he had three children, Annie, 15, Lily, 13, and Joe, 12 - Kevin is in love once again. “This is real”, he says of his relationship with 23 year-old model Christine Baumgarten. “I’ve had love once in my and I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to have it again. But now I'm getting those familiar feelings and I'm just going to enjoy the process of getting to know someone.” Kevin’s professional lie is also on the turn with his latest film Thirteen Days. A dramatization of the events which it place in the White House during the 1962 Cubun missile crisis, Kevin has made a film which has pleased the critics and of which he himself is proud. Here, the actor talks about the path his life has taken and what his career means to him. Where were you in October 1962?
”I remember that month perfectly, although my memories of the missile crisis itself are pretty vague. I was seven and living with my parents in a small Californian town called Compton. Everyone was nervous. I saw a lot of folk digging in their gardens apparently making nuclear refuge. They didn’t let their kids play in the streets, and in school they taught us survival exercises. “My father wasn't too bothered by it though. He didn’t try to make a shelter. And he didn't-hoard mountains of food, like all the other neighbors were doing.” What do you think Thirteen Days has going for it? ” I think the film is an important piece of world history. A lot of it is based on-origin documentation, which hasn't been touched until now. The film illustrates how important the role of the Kennedy brothers was in saving not only the interests of America, but those of the whole world. What’s your opinion of President Kennedy? ”I think he’s a symbol who will always be remembered as such, despite the fact that people have focused on his weak points over the years. But I think that with films like this one, people might realize what Kennedy meant for all of us”.
What do you think would have happened if the crisis had triggered a Third World War? ”Well probably neither you nor I would be here having this conversation! And I imagine that around 150 million people would have been killed”. Away from work now, how is your relationship with Cindy and the kids these days?<.i> ”I see the kids whenever I want and we go to the cinema together at least once a week. My divorce was well covered in the press, but, thank God, my wife and I have managed to maintain a wonderful friendship after 16 years of marriage. Generally I can say that I'm happy with me life, even though it hasn't been perfect.”
How do you feel about being a sex symbol? ”I’m only interested in being a good actor and in being remembered for my best films, not for the way I look. But it seems inevitable in this line of work that I have to care about the way I look- without getting obsessed about it”. You’ve had some very successful films, but you’ve also had ones that have lost a lot of money. How does that make you feel? ”First of all, I'd like to say that money isn't a major motivating force in my life. Nor is my profession. There are other things that I care more about than being an actor. ”I'd also like to say I work for the public, for the people who are going to the cinema, rather than for the critics.” When are you thinking of turning your hand back to directing? ” When I find a project which really excites me.” Would you feel scared about getting involved again in a film with as vast a budget as Waterworld? ”I don't think I ever take huge risks, though I'm not scared of doing so.” Have you ever regretted making a film? ”No. I believe firmly in every one I’ve done despite what the critics have said, or what the returns have been. Of course, I’m not satisfied with how everything has gone, but I’m fine about the decisions I personally took.”
|
