Kevin Costner is regarded as one of the finest actors in the industry, and with his various character portrayals, he has managed to cement his position in the industry as well as in the hearts of the audience. The actor tried out his hands at directing back in 1990 with Dances with Wolves, an epic Western movie. The movie is an adaptation of the novel Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake and tells the story of Union Army Lieutenant John J. Dunbar traveling to the American frontier.
Upon its release, Costner’s directorial debut received a positive response from the audience as well as the critics. The actor’s direction, performances in the movie, screenplay, and more were appreciated by the audience. The movie managed to gross $424 million worldwide and became the fourth highest-grossing movie of 1990. Recently, Kevin Costner recalled an incident that took place at the time, which could have led to the production shutting down.
Kevin Costner narrates the construction of the bull scene from Dances with Wolves
Ahead of the release of his movie Horizon: An American Saga, actor Kevin Costner spoke to Lauren Veneziani about the movie, where he was asked about how he managed to construct the ‘bull scene’ from his directorial debut, Dances with Wolves. He said,
We shot that for 6 days, and then all of a sudden they wouldn’t run anymore, and I got a call that the trucks were backing where the trucks were chasing them. We were trying to get them back, and they’d been running for six days, and actually, the helicopter dropped and backed the herd into something to get them going, but they wouldn’t go, and a bull came out, and he stood in front of the helicopter.
The actor continued,
It was a standoff, and I was hearing this on the radio, and he goes, and they raise up because he charged at them, and he goes, We’re not going to run the buffalo anymore, so the bull came out, and he said, No more, we’re not being chased anymore.
Costner also revealed during the interview that he shot Dances with Wolves in 106 days where as for his upcoming, he took 52 days, In his GQ interview, sharing the same story, Costner added that it’s one of the things that he’ll never forget. He also added that finding a herd of buffalo was another challenge he faced at the time. He shared with the publication that after speaking to the Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, they managed to get the herd of buffalo they could use to film the scene. The interviewer said it is one of her favorite scenes in the movie.
Kevin Costner says he’s convinced by the power of his story in Horizon: An American Saga
The actor-director, who is gearing up for his movie Horizon: An American Saga’s release, premiered the movie at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. Costner later addressed the crowd, stating that he was never going to forget the moment.
According to US Weekly, the upcoming epic saga is Costner’s passion project, and he’s convinced of the power of the story. The actor, in his cover interview for GQ, admitted that he has invested his own money to co-finance the Western epic. He added,
I know they say I’ve got $20 million of my own money in this movie. It’s not true. I’ve got about $38 million in the movie now. That’s the truth. That’s the real number.
He also talked about the kind of people he would like to finance the movie, adding that he needs someone impulsive, emotional, and has money to go west. The actor who self-financed the movie decided to mortgage his ranch to start raising $100 million. At the press conference, he added that he did not know why it was hard to get people to believe in the movie that he wanted to make.
Horizon: An American Saga comes out on June 28th, 2024, and Chapter 2 of the movie is scheduled for August 16th’s release.
Frequently asked questions
What happened during the buffalo scene in Dances with Wolves?
Kevin Costner recalled that after six days of filming, the buffalo herd refused to keep running during a chase scene involving a helicopter. A bull broke from the herd, stood in front of the helicopter, and charged at it, forcing the crew to halt production on the sequence. Costner has said the incident is something he’ll never forget.
How much money did Dances with Wolves make at the box office?
Dances with Wolves grossed $424.2 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1990. It marked Kevin Costner’s directorial debut and was adapted from Michael Blake’s novel of the same name, following a Union Army lieutenant’s journey to the American frontier.
How is Dances with Wolves connected to Costner’s film Horizon?
Costner discussed the buffalo incident while promoting Horizon: An American Saga, his new Western epic that he self-financed with roughly $38 million of his own money. He compared the two productions, noting Dances with Wolves took 106 days to shoot compared to 52 days for Horizon. Horizon premiered at Cannes to a lengthy standing ovation before its June 28, 2024 release.
