In the second of our on set interviews with the cast and crew of Jack Ryan we talk to Kevin Costner, a man whose all-American aura he readily admits to. As an actor he has quietened of late as he spends more time with his young family away from the spotlight, picking and choosing his roles in front of the camera carefully. When we meet him he is open, candid and incredibly personable, completely aware of his place in his industry and keen to use it for his own ends as a director.
His character in Kenneth Brangh’s film is our first topic of conversation, earlier indications suggested that he was a mentor of sorts to Chris Pine’s Jack Ryan. As an actor who was asked to be Ryan as the Hunt for Red October was getting underway it is almost a passing of the torch to a new incarnation of Tom Clancy’s hero. Costner is quick to dismiss this, graciously deferring to Chris Pine throughout he talks about working with Chris Pine and the director with whom he has much in common, and about the responsibility of being a leading man.
On his character, and getting his hands dirty
I don’t think that he is a mentor, my character recruits people, and it’s safe to say that he’s recruited more than Jack Ryan during his career. There’s a management that you have with these assets that you place around the word. What Jack starts off being is a person who doesn’t have a gun in his hand, he’s got a military background but he’s a financial guy, but he’s a resourceful guy. It’s such an impersonal way to talk about people…but that’s how they talk. I like to think that some guys were born to management and some guys fall into it…I don’t think my character was born for management. He can’t help himself sometimes, he gets involved a little bit, though Chris carries the movie.
Working with Kenneth Branagh and Chris Pine
That was a big strong appeal for me because he [Branagh] and I are contemporaries, we both jumped out of acting into directing, we risked stepping outside of the box people was to keep you in. I’ve admired him from a distance, we talked to me about doing a movie which Andy Garcia ultimately ended up doing. I knew that he would do something special.
I’ve been where Chris is now, I guess my version would have been No Way Out, he has a good handle on [the fame] and our dynamic is such from a script standpoint – I’m in this place of handling him. But he’s got a good handle on it – he understands the leading man responsibility. You have to stand there and take people through the movie. You have to learn that. It’s not an easy thing.
Almost being Ryan and his future in directing.
You know I was asked to do the first [Jack Ryan] film, and I would have done it, I wanted to do it, but I had postponed Dances with Wolves for a year and I couldn’t do anything else. They offered me more money than I had ever seen, but I think I was just stubborn but ‘No.’ which didn’t mean ‘I want more money…’ it meant that I had given my word on Dances.
I like directing, I’d like to direct more as my career plays out but I’m stubborn enough to not do it unless I’m able to influence every bit of it. I’m not a big committee man. They are four or five things which I want to direct. In these last four years I’ve written a lot and acquired certain things.
On the new Jack Ryan Franchise
We take it one film at a time, if they choose to bring my character back then it’ll have to be interesting. I’ve been asked to do the second Bull Durham, the second Tin Cup, the second Bodyguard, the early years of Dances… So I see this as one movie.
