A month before Kevin Costner puts the first installment of his multi-chapter Western 香蕉视频直播淗orizon: An American Saga香蕉视频直播� into theaters, the actor-director came to the Cannes Film Festival to unveil his self-financed passion project.

香蕉视频直播淭wo of my boys are out fishing right now,香蕉视频直播� Costner said with a grin in an interview at the Carlton Hotel. 香蕉视频直播淎nd the three girls found their way onto a boat. So dad香蕉视频直播檚 in here, stumping for his movie.香蕉视频直播�

The movie is actually two, or if Costner has his way, four. 香蕉视频直播淗orizon: Chapter One,香蕉视频直播� which runs three hours, will be released by Warner Bros. in theaters June 28. 香蕉视频直播淐hapter Two香蕉视频直播� follows August 16. Costner has scripts ready for parts three and four.

It香蕉视频直播檚 only the fourth time Costner, 69, has directed, following 1990香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淒ances With Wolves,香蕉视频直播� 1997香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淭he Postman香蕉视频直播� and 2003香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淥pen Range.香蕉视频直播� But when he has, Costner has usually done it with a clear-eyed passion for storytelling and character. That香蕉视频直播檚 on display in the wide-ranging epic 香蕉视频直播淗orizon,香蕉视频直播� with a cast including Sienna Miller, Abbey Lee, Sam Worthington and Costner.

It香蕉视频直播檚 also Costner香蕉视频直播檚 biggest gamble, ever. To raise the money for the $100 million-plus production, he mortgaged his seaside Santa Barbara, California, estate. He香蕉视频直播檚 been trying to make 香蕉视频直播淗orizon香蕉视频直播� for more than 30 years.

香蕉视频直播淚 thank God for Cannes. I香蕉视频直播檓 an independent filmmaker, essentially, and I香蕉视频直播檓 here by myself,香蕉视频直播� said Costner, whose film was to premiere Sunday. 香蕉视频直播淪o this is a high moment for me because it香蕉视频直播檚 helping me create awareness for a movie. I don香蕉视频直播檛 have all the money in the world to expose this movie. But I have my time and a platform here.香蕉视频直播�

Remarks have been lightly edited for brevity.

AP: What was your calculus in deciding to put your money into 香蕉视频直播淗orizon香蕉视频直播�? What made it worth it to you?

COSTNER: You can spend your life just trying to make your pile grow bigger and bigger. And I香蕉视频直播檝e not been really terribly great at that. I香蕉视频直播檓 like anyone else, I香蕉视频直播檇 like it to be big. But not at the expense of not doing what I feel like I香蕉视频直播檝e love to do. If no one will help me do it and I believe strongly in its entertainment value 香蕉视频直播� there香蕉视频直播檚 commerce on my mind. But I don香蕉视频直播檛 let it overshadow the entertainment value and essence of what I香蕉视频直播檓 trying to portray. I don香蕉视频直播檛 try to let the fear of that control my instincts on any level. I don香蕉视频直播檛 want to live that way. If I was watching a movie about me and I thought, 香蕉视频直播淥o, don香蕉视频直播檛 risk your money and make something like that,香蕉视频直播� what a (expletive).

AP: Was it an easy decision? You didn香蕉视频直播檛 look around your seaside Santa Barbara estate and question mortgaging it?

COSTNER: No, it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 an easy decision, but it was the decision I needed to make. It香蕉视频直播檚 like, wow, why am I having to do this? I think I香蕉视频直播檓 making mainstream entertainment. I don香蕉视频直播檛 know what you felt about the movie but I felt like it香蕉视频直播檚 really mainstream. I don香蕉视频直播檛 feel that I香蕉视频直播檓 an avant-garde type of a person. But yet I think my things are a little off. I香蕉视频直播檓 willing to (in a wagon trail scene in the film) see a woman bathe because her desire to be clean was so pronounced. If you香蕉视频直播檙e a woman, who wouldn香蕉视频直播檛 want to be? But then in the next moment, you realize it香蕉视频直播檚 against the rule, man. You could cost yourself your life. So that scene became important to make the next scene important. To me, a scene like that is just as important as a gun fight. And if that kind of scene doesn香蕉视频直播檛 want to exist in a mainstream movie香蕉视频直播�

AP: Could this have been a series?

COSTNER: I guess. It will be. They香蕉视频直播檙e going to break this up into a hundred pieces, you know what I mean? After four of these, they香蕉视频直播檙e going to have 13, 14 hours of film and they香蕉视频直播檙e going to turn into 25 hours of TV, and they香蕉视频直播檙e going to do whatever they香蕉视频直播檙e going to do. That香蕉视频直播檚 just the way we live in our life but they香蕉视频直播檒l also exist in this form. And that was important for me, to make sure that happened. And I was the one who paid for it.

AP: It香蕉视频直播檚 an audacious release plan, with the second film opening two months after the first. What appealed to you about that?

COSTNER: The studio wanted to try that. I knew this was going to come out fairy quickly, like every four or five months. That may have been easier. But this is something they feel like people can remember the first one and it can tie into the second one. I built into all of them a montage of what香蕉视频直播檚 coming.

AP: Since directing 香蕉视频直播淒ances With Wolves,香蕉视频直播� you香蕉视频直播檝e directed 香蕉视频直播淥pen Range香蕉视频直播� and starred in 香蕉视频直播淲yatt Earp香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淵ellowstone.香蕉视频直播� What keeps bringing you back to the West?

COSTNER: I like seeing behavior in men that makes sense. I make movies for men. I just make sure there香蕉视频直播檚 great women characters because that香蕉视频直播檚 really important to me. The backbone of our movie is actually women. I don香蕉视频直播檛 like boys behaving stupid. I like the little boy who (fleeing an attack) takes the two horses and effectively saves his life. I like seeing people behave honestly in desperate situations. The heroism of a little boy saying 香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檒l stay with you, Dad香蕉视频直播� is a really powerful moment. That香蕉视频直播檚 my son (Hayes Costner) and it was very hard to watch.

AP: In dramatizing the drive West of settlers, what was the Native American perspective you wanted to consider?

COSTNER: Confusion about it. The colonel says, 香蕉视频直播淚f we salt the earth with enough of their dead, the wagons won香蕉视频直播檛 come anymore.香蕉视频直播� When you香蕉视频直播檙e that far out there, you can香蕉视频直播檛 go. When people said goodbye in the East Coast, they didn香蕉视频直播檛 come back. So the confusion for the Native American was they couldn香蕉视频直播檛 make sense of that. Normally if you kill enough people they won香蕉视频直播檛 bother you. But these Americans, these people were getting flyers saying you could have this land. There are salesmen in every century, every decade selling something they don香蕉视频直播檛 really know what it is. It香蕉视频直播檚 just America. It香蕉视频直播檚 just this giant experiment of hope.

AP: But America means different things to different people, right? You have Chinese immigrants in the film as well.

COSTNER: When they weren香蕉视频直播檛 useful, they were just cast away. And they had to create a sense of community and they came en masse. They came together and they were very industrious. They香蕉视频直播檒l be the wealthiest people in that town until there香蕉视频直播檚 a tipping point and racism kicks in and suddenly they香蕉视频直播檙e gone, too. You watch. That香蕉视频直播檚 what would happen in real life.

AP: What I香蕉视频直播檓 getting at is there香蕉视频直播檚 tragedy in this. Do you see westward expansion and your film as a tragedy?

COSTNER: There香蕉视频直播檚 inevitable tragedy to it. And there香蕉视频直播檚 divisions. You see a whole tribe break in half. You see a father break from a son.

AP: Have you already started shooting the third installment?

COSTNER: I香蕉视频直播檝e shot three days and I continue to have to press for money to finish this. I have to figure out what else I can do to make this. But I香蕉视频直播檓 not waiting to see how people feel. I know what this is, and I think if people love the movie experience, they have a really good chance of wanting to see the next one. That香蕉视频直播檚 all I can believe. The prudent thing would be to wait, but I guess I香蕉视频直播檓 not built for that wait.

AP: Some of the issues on 香蕉视频直播淵ellowstone香蕉视频直播� seemed to have to do with time and scheduling. What香蕉视频直播檚 your feeling about your future with that series at this point?

COSTNER: 香蕉视频直播淵ellowstone香蕉视频直播� was really important in my life. I really loved that world and what we were able to do in five seasons. I only thought it would be one, but did five. I was willing to do three more 香蕉视频直播� five, six and seven 香蕉视频直播� but it just didn香蕉视频直播檛 happen. Certain things were going on and it just didn香蕉视频直播檛 happen. So the idea of going back, I香蕉视频直播檓 open to that idea. But it香蕉视频直播檚 based on everything that first three or four were based on, which is the scripts.

Jake Coyle, The Associated Press