Kevin Costner is here with a faith-filled and joyful Christmas special about the Nativity. Take a look at what the Oscar winner has to say about faith and the test of time.
The holiday season is right around the corner, which means the Christmas trees are up, the stockings have been hung, gifts have been wrapped, and most everyone is in a joyful mood recalling their favourite holiday memories, except for the 'Grinch', of course. And now, in a very 'Hollywood-sy' manner, Kevin Costner has also reflected on what the holiday season means for him and how important faith has been in his life.
Before Kevin Costner rode into the sunset in Yellowstone and earned two Oscars for Dances with Wolves, he slept in a camper on Sunset Boulevard while dreaming of Hollywood fame, the seed of which was planted in him at church when he was a young man. The actor has reflected on this during his ABC special, Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas. He recalls the first Christmas he remembers and stated:
"I think I was about 4 years old when I was selected to be a shepherd in our church's yearly production of the Nativity. It would be my acting debut, and I would have one line, 'Hark!'"
The two-hour special premiered on December 9, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Working on 'The First Christmas' lit the actor up like a Christmas tree. And now, during a conversation with USA Today, he had reflected on how much faith matters to him. He was quoted as saying:
"We all think we know [the story]. We all wait for this time of year, and then we get mad at it, too, because now it's 'so much stuff I have to do, and I hate this.' It's 'too many people are coming to the house.' There's this other story that changed the world, a lot of the world. I was proud to complete it. I'm sure I'm going to confront the cynics and nonbelievers, who I invite to sit down as well, so they can feel how they feel. But I was really happy. This gave me pleasure to do it."
In the same conversation, Kevin revealed that the church his family helped build in the 1950s was his "foundation." He shared that their friends came from church, and it "was central in our lives." Kevin's grandmother served as choir director, and his mom, Sharon Costner, lent her voice as a member. Sharon appeared in two of Kevin's films, including Tin Cup and For Love of the Game. She passed away in 1998. Kevin reflected on his mom's participation in the choir and said, "I loved watching my mom sing. I wish I could see her sing now." He added that Sharon's performances live in Costner's memory and the church's teachings in his heart.
In the same conversation, Kevin revealed remarkable stories of faith and belief. He added that it was nice to believe in something because he'd " hate to live in a world where I don't believe in anything." Kevin steadily relied on his faith over the years, even when, to borrow a metaphor from his beloved Western genre, life bucks him. During the conversation, he said how one can't always explain what moves them or "what gives us this kind of determination or this faith that we will come out of this dark spot." However, he just chooses to believe, and that has sustained him.
In 2023, Kevin Costner's second wife, Christine Baumgartner, with whom he shares three children, filed for divorce after nearly 19 years of marriage. Professionally, Costner has faced challenges in producing his four-part movie series, Horizon: An American Saga. While the release of Part 2 was delayed in 2024, Kevin has openly discussed the difficulty of financing Chapter 3. He shared how faith helped him move through these difficulties and stated:
"So how do I choose to live my life, in anger or in faith that things will reveal themselves in the right way? And so I've just chosen to do that. But being a human, you keep thinking to God, 'You need to hurry up, God. Listen, I've been praying for this for a long time. You got to pick it up a little bit.' But we live with faith, so we're going to be tested. It's just we're tested all the time."
What are your thoughts on Kevin Costner's revelations? Let us know.
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