Kevin Costner gambled $38M of his own money and mortgaged property to make Horizon films: ‘I’m as far out on a limb right now as I’ve ever been’

Kevin Costner was rumored to have spent $20M of his own money in order to help fund his $200M-budget two-part western Horizon: An American Saga, but it was actually $38M.

‘That’s the truth. That’s the real number,’ the 69-year-old Yellowstone star confirmed in his GQ cover story on Monday.

‘It’s kind of an independent movie. My wife [Christine Baumgartner] and I knew we were going to finance it. We just mortgaged a property, a beachfront property in Santa Barbara. Ten acres. I said, “It’s a good deal.” And she said, “Yeah, one more and we’re out of business.”‘

Kevin finalized his contentious divorce from his 49-year-old ex on February 16 after 18 years of marriage, but he said the split was ‘not related’ to his ‘crazy’ financial gamble.

Contrasting himself to Ahab in Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick, Costner said: ‘The white whale obsessed him so much that he would take everybody down with them. I take nobody down with me. I take the risk myself.’

The 69-year-old Yellowstone star confirmed in his GQ cover story on Monday: ‘That’s the truth. That’s the real number. It’s kind of an independent movie. My wife [Christine Baumgartner] and I knew we were going to finance it. We just mortgaged a property, a beachfront property in Santa Barbara. Ten acres. I said, “It’s a good deal.” And she said, “Yeah, one more and we’re out of business”‘

The two-time Oscar winner – who’s been dating Grammy-nominated singer Jewel – agreed to pay Christine $63K/month in child support to help care for son Cayden Wyatt, 16; son Hayes Logan, 15; and daughter Grace Avery, 13.

Kevin not only battled Baumgartner in court, he also battled creator Taylor Sheridan over filming Yellowstone along with delays from the WGA/SAG strikes pausing filming on Horizon, which he now wants to expand to two films despite not securing the financing.

‘So much. Very serious stuff. And those things are very important,’ Costner marveled.

‘I have to deal with them. And I have to deal with them on a daily basis, emotionally, historically almost. And then there’s the immediate needs of children. I’m not going to list the things — I’m going to stop right there with them. That is my job, looking at that, and dealing with that.’