Yellowstone holds a special place in Kevin Costner’s heart. And no, I’m not talking about the TV show but the national park itself. Costner has lent his star talent to not one but two documentaries about the national park.
The actor partnered with Fox Nation on both Yellowstone: One-Fifty and more recently Yellowstone to Yosemite with Kevin Costner. Appearing on FOX News Channel’s The Will Cain Show, Costner opened up about his love for the national park. What interested Costner more though was the hidden story behind the park’s creation.
He explained, “Well, we did — we did one on Yellowstone itself, the national parks. And while we all enjoy them, very rarely, do we actually understand how they came to be. And when you think about things in life, it’s like, are we ever going to make a difference in our life? I mean, I ask myself that. Everybody does. I mean, there’s eight billion of us on this planet now. What do we do?”
He continued, “But it is a story about how men and women can really make a difference through a force of will. And we saw that in Yellowstone, the documentary of Ferdinand Hayden and how this guy just, against all odds, said, wait a second, I’m here to destroy this land. I’m here to find a railroad. I’m here to find more gold.”
Kevin Costner Talks Documentary
But Costner said that’s when something magical happened instead. He continued, “And he looked at this place and said, no, I can’t do that. And I think — and he looked at the other men around him and said, we can’t do that. And he went up against the roughest, toughest people in the century at that point, land barons, copper barons, gold and railroad.”
Costner was very interested in getting the opportunity to dig into the story more and give it the appreciation it deserves. The actor says that millions of people don’t know the history behind the parks they visit every year.
He said, “And billions of people have now enjoyed these national parks. And when you think about Yosemite, we sometimes get the idea that it’s always there, it’s always been there. But, no, there’s a story behind it. And it’s incredible. And it’s rough. And it does deal with two men who had an idea that they could make a difference. And they did. Natural beauty spoke out loud to them.”
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