Kevin Costner Reveals Which Actor Truly Stood Above the Rest

Kevin Costner has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Over the years, he has shared scenes with stars like Sean Connery, Susan Sarandon, Dennis Hopper, and Whitney Houston. With a career that long, picking just one standout co-star would seem almost impossible.

But Costner didn’t hesitate when the question came up. During an interview on The Rich Eisen Show, he was asked who the best actor he had ever worked with was. According to Costner, there was a clear answer. He said Gene Hackman stood above everyone else.

The two actors worked together on the 1987 thriller No Way Out. Costner played a Navy officer caught in a dangerous political situation, while Hackman took on the role of the powerful Secretary of Defense. Even though Hackman was already a major acting force at the time, Costner remembered feeling confident around him on set.

Costner shared a story from filming that stayed with him for decades. He recalled a moment when he and director Roger Donaldson disagreed over how a scene should be staged. Some people on set worried that the disagreement might upset Hackman. Costner said he wasn’t concerned because he trusted that Hackman would adapt without any trouble.

Later that same day, Costner said he was walking to his car when Hackman came up behind him. Costner admitted he was nervous and assumed he was about to be criticized for pushing back as a younger actor. Instead, Hackman surprised him.

According to Costner, Hackman told him that watching him stand his ground reminded him of how he felt about acting when he was younger. Hackman then simply said it was good what you did and drove off. Costner has said that the moment meant a great deal to him and stayed with him throughout his career.

As of this year, Costner is in a very different place professionally. He has officially stepped away from his long-running role as John Dutton on Yellowstone, which wrapped its final season in 2024. Since then, he has turned his full attention to projects he controls himself.

His latest series, The Gray House, debuted on Prime Video in late February. The Civil War drama was executive produced by Costner and Morgan Freeman, reuniting the two actors years after working together on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Costner is also deep into finishing his ambitious Western project, Horizon: An American Saga. Despite mixed box office results for the first two films, he has continued pushing forward. The third chapter is expected to arrive later this year, with a fourth installment already planned.

Looking back, Costner’s admiration for Gene Hackman seems tied to more than talent alone. The respect Hackman showed him early on may have helped shape Costner’s confidence and drive to follow his own creative path.

Do you think that brief moment of encouragement from Gene Hackman played a role in Kevin Costner’s determination to keep betting on himself years later? Share your thoughts in the comments.