Kevin Costner: A Class Act At The Academy Awards

During an Oscarcast widely considered to be one of the all-time worst in the show’s checkered history — and not just because of a certain, ahem, onstage altercation — C&I reader favorite Kevin Costner brought a much-needed touch of class to the proceedings Sunday evening while introducing the Best Director award.

Before presenting the prize to The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion, Costner waxed eloquent about one of his earliest exposures to the magic of the movies, a Cinerama screening of How the West Was Won he viewed when he was just seven years old. And unlike all too many presenters (and hosts) on hand for the show, he conveyed equal measures of deep respect, profound joy and unabashed awe for cinema. Little wonder, then, that many folks in the Twitterverse have been suggesting — if not be demanding — that Costner be considered for a solo hosting gig at next year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

 

Of course, Costner doubtless was thinking Sunday about his own 1991 triumph in the Best Director category, for his epic western Dances With Wolves. Here is a video clip of his acceptance speech. And if you look closely, you’ll see his co-star Graham Greene in the audience, expressing his fist-pumping delight.