The role of West, which Kevin Costner once called perfect

After a monumental 1984 summer (led by sui generis blockbusters Ghostbusters and Gremlins and the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), Hollywood had high hopes for the '85 season. Between sure things (“Rambo: First Blood Part II” and the James Bond film “A View to a Kill”) and then unknown quantities (“Back to the Future” and “Gremlins”), the industry touted the return of the Western. with Clint Eastwood's “Pale Rider” and Kasdan's “Silverado” duet.

While “Pale Rider” was a hit compared to its modest cost, “Silverado,” which came out as a grand Hawks romance with a quartet of Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Danny Glover and Costner, grossed $32 million in the tournament. USA with a budget of 25 million dollars. West, it turned out, was where it had been since the 1970s: it was profitable as long as The Rock was on the poster.

Although moviegoers didn't turn out for Silverado in droves, critics were generally kind and praised the performances in particular. And among the mostly familiar faces, Costner's energetic, loose cannon character Jake stood out.

In a 2019 interview with Entertainment WeeklyCostner fondly recalled his time filming Silverado. “It was a really big, huge moment for me to be in the Silverado,” he said. But the role of Jake didn't immediately seem like the perfect fit. As he told EW:

“I always felt like I was going to end up playing a laconic Western character. And here came this young guy, full of juice… It was the perfect role for me. I always knew that was a huge block in my foundation.”

Forty years later, Silverado still enjoys a reputation as a satisfying, old-school western with a touch of movie brat magic. It's a western made by a boomer who always wanted to make a western. Apparently, Costner became one of those boomers with Dances with Wolves, Open Range, Yellowstone and most recently in his epic “Horizon: An American Saga.” Jake might have been an unexpected role, but the genre always suited him. “I was really comfortable being on his bare back and doing weird things,” he told EW. “You can't help but want to be the guy on the horse in the Western. You don't want to hand it to your double. You want to do it.”