Kevin Costner Cast His 15-Year-Old Son Hayes In His New Western To “Keep Him Close”

Kevin Costner’s acting genes have been passed down to his 15-year-old son Hayes, as has his love of a Western. Hayes Costner is joining his dad on screen in the Yellowstone star’s new movie, Horizon: An American Saga, and Kevin Costner himself admitted it might be a bit of a ploy to hang out together.

A trailer for Horizon: An American Saga sees young Hayes Costner helping a woman (played by Sienna Miller) and a young girl into a shelter. “It’s all right — I’m gonna be with Dad,” he tells the woman, who is presumably his mother, before closing the door on her face as she looks visibly distressed and says, “no, no.”

Considering the film is centered in the Civil War era, when many people went west and fought wars to claim their land, Hayes’ character could be in danger. And his dad? Not his real dad, it seems, but possibly Sam Worthington of Avatar fame. While this is Hayes Costner’s first movie, it might not be his last, since Horizon: An American Saga is a four-part series. Depending how his character fares when he takes off with his dad, there might be a few more movies in Hayes’ future. We’ll find out when the Chapter One of Horizon: An American Saga comes out in theaters on June 28.

Costner, who directed and co-wrote the series, shared that Hayes is actually playing his younger version in the movie. “Hayes plays the namesake character that I actually play in the movie. He’s 13 years old and the screenplay’s been around longer than that," the dad of seven told People .

He went on to admit that there might have been an ulterior motive behind his casting choice. “I kind of did it on purpose, so he could be hanging out with me. I’m like any other parent, I’m trying to figure out, like, ‘This is really neat. You should come be with me.’”

The Yellowstone actor has worked with his older kids in movies before. His 35-year-old son Joe Costner, who he shares with ex-wife Cindy Silva, joined him onscreen in Tin Cup and The Postman, and his 37-year-old daughter Annie Costner also joined him in both The Postman and Dances With Wolves. But this is the first time for son Hayes, who Costner shares with ex-wife Christine Baumgartner along with 16-year-old Cayden and 12-year-old daughter Grace. We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for their turn on the big screen.