Costner's Childhood Collision with Disney Changed Everything
Hollywood star Kevin Costner shares the unforgettable story of accidentally tackling Walt Disney as a four-year-old at Disneyland, a moment that would influence his entire career trajectory.
Kevin Costner doesn't back down from ambitious projects. Critics warned him about Waterworld's massive budget and predicted failure. They were right on both counts, but he pushed forward anyway. After creating sweeping westerns that audiences largely ignored, he doubled down instead of switching genres. Undaunted by spending a small nation's GDP on two Horizon: An American Saga chapters, Costner plans two more installments plus an eight-episode Civil War series called The Gray House, narrated by Morgan Freeman. At least this time, the funding won't drain his personal accounts.
His other western venture, Yellowstone, ended messily. The Taylor Sheridan series ran successfully for five seasons until on-set disputes led Costner to quit the hit show.
A Lifelong Western Obsession
Costner's passion for American history and frontier characters spans decades. It started with his 1985 breakout in Silverado. Major roles in JFK, Bull Durham, and The Untouchables gave him clout to produce 1990's Dances with Wolves, which he also directed and starred in. This fresh take on Cowboys and Indians earned $500 million worldwide and seven Oscars, including Best Director for Costner.
He attempted similar magic twice in the '90s with Waterworld and The Postman. Both were expensive spectacles that audiences rejected. The 2000s brought more varied roles like the serial killer thriller Mr. Brooks, but by 2012 he returned to westerns with the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
The Disney Encounter That Started It All
Costner's western fixation earned him induction into the Hall of Great Western Performers at Oklahoma City's National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. During his acceptance, he shared a childhood story about meeting another entertainment legend.
As a four-year-old visiting Disneyland in the late 1950s, young Costner preferred Frontierland over the Magic Kingdom castle. He was determined to beat a group of VIP guests to his favorite attraction for the fifth time that day.
"I was certain we could beat them. They looked old, and they were just walking. My mother tried to stop me, but I ran ahead, determined to beat that large group of men, waving to my mom behind me... I flew under that ribbon and ran right into the men leading the group, he never saw me, but I must have hit him hard, right in the knees, because he buckled, and the men in that party all stopped, everything stopped. No one said a word. My mother's hands were over her mouth. She was paralyzed."
"The man looked down at me, and I remember him being huge. And he wasn't angry. And he asked me if I liked this ride. I told him that I loved this ride. He simply smiled and pointed to the other side of the ribbon and said, 'I think your mother's over there,' she asked if I knew who he was, I shook my head. And then she told me – that was Walt Disney."
This early encounter left a lasting impression on Costner. He later appeared in several Disney productions, including Open Range, The Guardian, and McFarland, USA.