‘Horizon’ women on Kevin Costner: A very different man as director and co-actor

Kevin Costner paid tribute to the ensemble of women in his new Western film, “Horizon: An American Saga.” For the Oscar-winning actor-turned-director, not only do the storylines in his multi-narrative four-part epic run through his actresses’ characters, but also that “the story is not possible without them.”

Kevin is the creator, producer, co-writer, director and star in “Horizon.” This passion project of his chronicles the expansion and settlement of the American West during the Civil War years, in the eyes of settlers, Native Americans and immigrants lured to a fictional Old West town of Horizon for a better life.

In a virtual conference that The STAR attended, it was highlighted that women are not well-represented in the Western genre, but “Horizon” breaks this trend with strong female characters embodied by Sienna Miller, Abbey Lee, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jena Malone, and Ella Hunt.

Speaking about their roles and working with Kevin as their director and co-star, the actresses shared their different experiences filming “Horizon,” the first installment of which is now showing in Philippine cinemas.

In the film, Sienna plays the widow, Frances Kittredge, who’s fighting for her and her daughter’s survival.

“I think every character in this has something going on,” Sienna, whose past works included “American Sniper” and “G.I. Joe,” said during the virtual presscon.

“Mine is incredibly brave and courageous and resentful, but forward thinking and compromising her own needs for her daughter.”

“She’s a survivor. You kind of have to be. So I was thrilled,” she further said of her character.

Sienna also believes that women had an important role in shaping America’s history, and their contributions should not be overlooked or ignored in storytelling.

“I think, to tell a story about the kind of inception of America as we know it today, which doesn’t include women, is really disingenuous, you know,” she expressed.

“And Kevin crafted these incredible characters and follows their contribution, not only to the settlement of America, but also their personal internal struggles.”

It was also an immediate yes to working with Kevin on this film.

“If Kevin Costner calls you and says will you come do a Western, you like, you run. You run,” she laughingly quipped. “So, I’m very happy to be here.”

Abbey, on the other hand, takes on the role of Marigold, a prostitute from that time period. She gets to team up with Kevin’s character Hayes Ellison, who’s described as a “lone wolf cowboy.”

She said, “I think I got the beauty of experiencing Kevin not just as a director but as an actor. Most of my scenes are with Kevin. And what I found quite fascinating is that he felt to me like a very different man as a director and an actor.

“As a director, he’s really passionate and he has a lot of energy. He sort of runs around the set or he’s on horseback running around the set and giving people notes.

“And he has so much commanding energy and such strong leadership qualities. That is really important on a set of that size, where there’s not just actors and extras. There’s cattle and donkeys kicking off, and there’s crazy weather happening and he just has so much energy and he keeps the morale going every day.”

How Kevin was as co-actor, the “Mad Max: Fury Road” actress shared, “He’s so relaxed and gentle. And rather than feeling like you’re doing a scene with someone who’s acting, it’s just a man in front of you, communicating with you. And I found that really just lovely. A really nice way to work.”

As for Ella, it was a beautiful time on set for them. “I mean, I had a glorious time making these films, even with the grit of the character’s experiences. It was a beautiful time. I was so excited to play this woman who on the face of it is a bit of a challenge,” said the actress, whose character is the British settler Juliette Chesney, who’s part of a wagon caravan coming out to the west.

“She can be a bit difficult to love. She is forthright and so protective of her husband. But it comes out of love for her (husband) and like Sienna was saying, ultimately, she’s a survivor. She kind of has no other choice. And it was just a thrill for me to get to play this kind of role at this stage of my career.”

About having Kevin as director and co-star, she said his belief in her meant so much to her.

“I really didn’t imagine that Kevin would cast me as Juliette. And to be seen as her through his eyes is something that I’m going to carry through the rest of my career. It’s meant so much to me for him to believe in me as in her,” she said.

Isabelle plays the character Diamond Kittredge, a wagon train worker.

“When I read all of the scripts, I was just so floored as well that Kevin saw that I could carry this character for this period in her life. I mean, this westward journey really shapes the woman that she becomes,” she said of her character.

“And to be able to show through the eyes of a young woman finding her place in the world and absorbing, you know, what this journey of survival really takes, and also finding her own path, really just felt like a challenge and it felt exciting.”

What made Isabelle, best known for the suspense-thriller “Orphan,” enjoy the filming experience even more was the opportunity to work with her fellow actresses.

“And to work with such incredible women that, you know, each female character I feel like is so distinctive. They all face their own struggles and make decisions based on fear or love or what they feel like they have to do for those they love.

“It just felt like being a part of something greater and bigger,” she added.

She was also all praises for Kevin for creating such a world that also introduced and gave importance to strong female characters.

“You know, Kevin just put so much belief and trust in us, and it just was so easy to step onto that set every day and be in that world that he created for us. It really felt like making movies in the most magical way.”

Helping the actresses embody their characters were the terrain and landscapes of the film. Reportedly shot in Utah, “Horizon” offers scenic scenes meant for the wide screen.

Jena, who’s best-known for her role in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” described the terrain as a gift for her portrayal of a settler in the movie.

“It's a gift as an actor. You know, put us in a room, we can imagine it's an elevator. You know, put us in Lancaster, and we'll imagine it's wherever. But we're atmospheric creatures, you know? You can't help but be influenced by the  surroundings that you're in, and it does change how you oscillate, how you make decisions, getting to shoot in such a beautiful environment.”

She added, “But not just a beautiful environment, everyone was in it together. Two hours to set, I mean, just to the base camp. Forty-five minutes to set. Locations and sets that were built that were not there three months ago. This was such a beautiful (experience), for me. Like, a reclamation of getting to really experience that energy of optimism and hope and curiosity, no matter the stakes, no matter the terrain. And I feel like Kevin gifted us this opportunity of the terrain becoming part of another character.”

(Chapter 1 of "Horizon: An American Saga" is now showing in cinemas nationwide. It’s distributed in the Philippines by Parallax Studios and Saga Film Studios wtih Axinite Digicinema.)