Kevin Costner Defends Casting Son in Horizon Saga After Slamming Nepotism in Hollywood

In a new appearance on the Today show, the Yellowstone star opened up about casting his 15-year-old son in his new film, Horizon: An American Saga. While discussing recruiting his son Hayes for the film, he also spoke on being against nepotism in Hollywood.

"He's a beautiful boy and he's quiet," Costner said of having Hayes in the film, before explaining why his casting went against the actor's beliefs about celebrities involving their kids in their projects.

"I have not shoved my children into the business," he maintained. "I realize there's so many young actors that would just kill to be in this movie and I don't want to take those parts away from them just 'cause I can place my own children in. But in this instance, it was a smaller part. I selfishly wanted him with me for the week, two weeks he was with me."

And while Hayes had very little acting experience, Costner praised his son for his "really beautiful" performance, particularly a scene in the trailer which sees Hayes' character hiding his mother and sister in a secret door in the floorboards as their home is being attacked, seemingly sacrificing himself in the process.

"It's a really complicated scene," Costner explained. "In the end, there's a nobility, there's an absolute fatalness about it. It's what you want in a son. It's what you don't want a son to do, and at the end of the day, you're proud that he would make that choice."

An even more special connection for Hayes comes in the fact that Costner named his son after Horizon's lead character, Hayes Ellison, as the film has been in the works for over three decades.

"I was watching him grow up and I was thinking, 'Man, I better get with it and make this movie!'" the 69-year-old actor told Entertainment Tonight in April.

Costner brought Hayes and four of his siblings to the Cannes Film Festival last month, where the film received a 10-minute standing ovation following its premiere screening.

"I really didn't have a sense of what was going to happen. They [the audience] were very still for most of it," Costner said while appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month. "I actually started walking my life backwards for a second. I kind of went back to the beginning, wondering how I ended up at a place like that. We all have these dreams of where we want to be and I had my own and I've taken some really big bites out of life and life has taken some really big ones out of me. But I kind of just keep going and … they started to clap and it didn't stop."

In addition to Hayes, Costner shares Cayden, 17, and Grace, 14, with his ex-wife Christine Baumgartner. He also shares adult children Annie, 40, Lily, 37, and Joe, 36, with his ex-wife Cindy Silva, as well as his son Liam, 26, with ex Bridget Rooney.

"I brought five of them and got them tuxedos, I bought them dresses," Costner added of bringing his kids along for the big moment. "I wanted to know … that they were going to stick with me and support me."

See Costner and his son when the first chapter in the Horizon saga hits theaters June 28, with Chapter 2 to follow August 16.