In the late 80s and early 90s, Kevin Costner was highly sought after. He confidently combines acting and directing, winning many Oscars for Dances with Wolves and is considered someone who can be trusted with big budgets. However, then his reputation was shaken – and Costner himself had a hand in this. Read more in the Rambler article.
Gain power in court
In 1995, Waterworld was released, a post-apocalyptic film with a huge budget for the time. Much of the filming took place on the water, with huge sets and complex logistics. According to Universal, the total production budget reached approximately 175 million USD, one of the highest in history at that time.
The work faced many difficulties: storms slowed down filming, schedules were interrupted, scenery was constantly broken and costs increased. Telegraph in a piece commemorating the film's 25th anniversary, he called Waterworld “a storm of production problems, cost overruns, and harsh treatment by the press.”
But the behavior of Costner, who plays the main sailor, deserves special attention. On-set tensions and the actor's constant interference in creative decisions led director Kevin Reynolds to eventually leave post-production and Costner to take creative control during the film's final stages, effectively removing his predecessor from the set.
Another major failure
Two years later, The Postman was released, where Costner again combined the main role and the director's chair. Immediately after the film's release, a series of criticism immediately descended. Therefore, Diversity in a 1997 review, she described the film as “a rare epic in which a passionately expressed vision of America fails to save us from dramatic and rhythmic problems.”
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With a budget of about 80 million USD, the film grossed about 20 million USD worldwide. Some first-hand observers called The Postman one of the most unsuccessful projects of the year, noting its excessive length (about three hours), pathos, and lack of self-editing on the part of the director.
The failure of two major Hollywood projects at the same time had a negative impact on Costner's reputation. And if before that the studios struggled to cooperate with Kevin, then the willingness to trust him with a big budget as a director was greatly reduced.
Crime of harassment
The next notable blow to the image no longer involves film production. In 2006, British media reported that during a labor trial at Dundee court (Scotland), a masseuse at the Old Course hotel said that during a 2004 trial, she was harassed by a customer. After the ban on revealing the suspect's name was lifted, the press named Kevin Costner.
Guardian in the document of that time, he emphasized that we are talking about an accusation, not a verified fact: the court allowed the name of the actor, but the dispute itself was a labor issue of an employee in the hotel, not a criminal trial against Costner. Legally, this story did not lead to a conviction, but since that time, the actor's name has been associated with a major scandal of an intimate nature. This left a lasting reputation on his public image, which was built on the idea of an “honest, decent man”.
Trial with Stephen Baldwin
In the 2010s, Costner found himself at the center of another story – this time a business one. The plot focuses on a company involved in oil refining technology after an accident in the Gulf of Mexico. The actor invested in the production of centrifuges to separate oil from water and participated in negotiations with the transnational oil company British Petroleum.
Stephen Baldwin and partner Spyridon Kontougouris sued Costner, claiming he withheld key details of the British Petroleum deal from them, forcing them to sell their shares in the company at a discount and miss out on large profits. Hollywood publications cover this process in detail; Hollywood Reporter Write about the claim, amount and arguments of the parties.
In 2012, a federal jury in New Orleans completely sided with Costner and dismissed Baldwin's lawsuit: the actor won. And although from a legal standpoint he was found not guilty, from a reputation standpoint this became another episode in which Costner's name appeared in the fray.
We previously told you what Captain America sacrificed for his family.
