"I am not Master Yoda!" - Kevin Costner, Oscar winner and BAMBI award winner, in an exclusive interview

The man is a living legend.Kevin Costner has become an integral part of the cinema and our lives.The actor and director was simply always there - and has accompanied many of us for decades. For our author he has even become something of a surrogate father. In the print issue we dedicate the cover and a large portrait to him.Shortly before the Bambi Awards, our author finally met his American Dad in person.

Esquire: Mr. Costner, we are really looking forward to seeing you in Munich, you are coming to the BAMBI Awards.

Kevin Costner: I'm happy too. I feel a lot of support from you over there.

Germany is Costnerland. That's why you're on the cover of Esquire. I wrote the cover story about you. The text turned out to be much more personal than I had planned. When I went back through your career, these incredibly big films, I noticed that you are almost like a father figure. Definitely not just for me. But definitely for me. I grew up without a father and had to look for my role models elsewhere. Friends, grandpa, but also many cultural role models? You at the forefront.

Thank you for taking my work and my life so seriously. I appreciate that. It makes you vulnerable, and it helps me understand what you're about.

I was 13 when I came out of a cinema and was no longer the same. I hadDances with Wolvesseen. I can only begin to imagine what effect this experience must have had on your life. Who were you beforeDances with Wolvesand who after that?

The cinema is a wonderful place to find yourself. Of course, films are sometimes kitsch, but we often understand the world better through the behavior of characters. They can help us to better understand ourselves as men and women. In drama, the protagonists are often faced with tough decisions. When we watch them, we are put in the same situation and have to think: How would I act? Then comes the realization: I would have to be brave, be honest, show people compassion. I don't always have to win to maintain my dignity. We sit in the darkness and root for the hero. But sometimes the fate of the loser is so heartbreaking that we can also learn from him how to stay with ourselves. Films have always done that for me. That's why I always wanted to make films. There was never a beginning, a middle or an end. I will always make films for the people, not for box office returns. I had huge box office success, other films did mediocre. But I still love her. I also believe thatHorizonwill remain forever.

They had to wait 36 ​​years before they could tackle the project. You had to bury the dream again and again. Is this the kind of resistance that really triggers your ambition?

If I am convinced of an idea, the love for that idea remains. I had to live with it for a long timeHorizondidn't work. I don't know why I'm like that, but somehow I can endure it. I don't want to spend my life defending a bunch of money. That would dominate me and make me a fearful person. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to lose everything I've worked hard for, but most of all I don't want to lose myself and everything I believe in. I have a relationship with my audience, and these people becomeHorizon discover for yourself, and thenHorizon 2,and they will notice: It is the best I have to offer.

It's very reminiscent of another film of yours. I still remember it today. There was no internet or social media yet, but somehow we heard about this gigantic flop, this disastrous production. I went to the cinema and afterwards I thought: What have you all got? Great film! The film was called "Waterworld".

Waterworld is really great.

And ironically, her third highest grossing film. Why do you even care about chatter anymore?

I always had so many people who supported me. I probably shouldn't worry so much about the people who don't like me that much.Waterworldis loved by many people around the world. There weren't any computer effects either. So that was me up there, swinging from mast to mast. I also rode through this huge herd of buffalo myselfDances with Wolves.And inHorizonI'm still sitting on the horse myself. I work my butt off because I love the relationship with the audience that goes to the movies for me. I live for these people.

You've played a lot of father figures. Did that inspire you or was it just a coincidence?

I was lucky. My father was really strict with me. But he loved me. In a way, he always held me back. He thought I was taking too many risks. Ultimately, it was my mother who encouraged me to pursue my path, even though she too was afraid for me. She sensed my ambition. Nobody in my family had anything to do with the film industry. I think this happens a lot, especially between parents and children: the people who love us the most often hold us back. They worry, they are afraid for us. I try to pass on my experience. I think that's the only thing you can do as an older person. Sharing knowledge, but having it. I'm not Master YodaStar Wars, I don't know everything, but I love offering advice to my children. Most of the time they don't want him and listen away. This is biblical. Others hang on their every word. I've played so many interesting roles, but playing a father is always special. I always try to do it particularly authentically.

In 2013 I was finally able to really cry during a father-son scene. Thanks, of all things, to a Zack fucking Snyder film! It's the death of Jonathan Kent inMan of Steel. In order to save his foster father from a hurricane, Clark Kent would have to reveal that he is Superman. But you just raise your hand and tell your boy from a distance: It's ok! I had a good life. Now take care of your life.

(Kevin Costner raises his hand and repeats the gesture)

The scene has become an internet meme.

It often says something like "When your buddy leaves the bar with a woman and you actually want to stop him."

I then always have to click away.

Does the film mean that much to you?

Not so much, but what he means to you is much more important to me anyway. I love it. It's definitely a powerful scene that describes what it means to have to let someone you love go. Maybe that's what you were missing. A feeling of protection, that support that someone can offer you. Even more: to even understand that something like this can exist: people who would sacrifice themselves for you. This is a feeling of basic trust that you unfortunately haven't experienced in your life.

To be honest, I lost sight of you for a while. I wasn't that interested in the films, but then cameOpen Range, a tough but also very human western that I absolutely love. And again I read that they actuallyHorizonwanted to do.

Correct again. But I have work to doOpen Rangeloved. Westerns are sometimes way too simple. Good guy, bad guy, done. But here were Robert Duvall and Annette Benning, two of the best in their profession. The fact that these two believed in the script shows how honest and grounded the film was. My plan was straight afterOpen Rangethe work onHorizonto begin.Open Rangewas a great success, but actually I was only thinking about my passion project. I loved working on the material so much that I wrote four films at once, and it didn't matter to me that no one wanted to do the project at the time. Still, it kept getting bigger and bigger. And I will continue to work on it now. I hope God lets me live long enough to finish the four parts. Then I leave this legacy for younger people like you who can discover these films for themselves. The attention to detail, this representation of the Wild West as it really was.

Back to the beginning of the 2000s again. You are one of the biggest movie stars in the world. But also in his late 40s and early 50s, a father and very, very rich. How do you stay ambitious and awake and there?

You have to balance your ambition with your heartbeat. Not with the money you can make. Many people only think about money, that's ok, no problem, but my ambitions are linked to the love for what I do. Accordingly, I don't consider myself to be particularly ambitious, it's just that I have a lot of time on earth and I want to think carefully about what I do with this little time. I also have to keep reminding myself that movies don't define who I am. It defines me much more how I am as a friend, as a partner, how loyal I am. Not everyone sees it that way, but my friends do. They know very well who they are dealing with. I love films more than anything, but people are more important to me.

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In recent years you have once again played a father: John Dutton. Could you have imagined what an enormous successYellowstonewould be?

I'm rarely surprised when something is good. However, sometimes I'm surprised by what becomes a hit and what doesn't. You shouldn't be surprised if you do good work. I can't tackle anything that I'm not convinced will turn out well.Horizonmight even be the best thing I've ever done. However, it is not a hit, although I am convinced that this good work can still prove itself and prevail. But what I can almost guarantee is that if I tackle something, it will be good. I knew Yellowstone would be good. That's why I decided to play along. I gave everything I had to offer. And then it became this worldwide hit. Nobody can predict that. When I decided to do the show, no one had heard of Yellowstone. So you sit at home and decide to join in. AtHorizonit was the same. I have privately decided that I will do this now.Bodyguard- just as.Field of dreams- just as. So you decide privately that this could appeal to thousands of people, all of whom you have never met. And that they are just as interested in it as you are.

Did Sean Connery teach you anything about being a man?

Not directly. He just showed me who he is. This is more important. Sometimes it's not so important what you say, but more important what you do. Sean Connery was honest with me and behaved honorably. He was the same in private as he was in public. He wasn't a perfect man. But to be honest: me neither.