Kevin Costner: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. Devil "Anse" Hatfield - Hatfields & McCoys
And lets come back, once again, to the present. This excellent TV miniseries describes the famous family feud of the old West, and it originally aired on the History Channel. Costner plays the head and leader of the Hatfield family: William Anderson Devil Anse Hatfield. Much of the credit for the success of this show goes to the creative team behind it, and it is in large part due to Costners smooth, restrained performance. Although both main stars (Bill Paxton played Randall McCoy) were nominated for Best Actor at the Emmys, it was Costner that came home with the win.
Stern, confident, morally ambiguous, sporting a full-length, graying beard, and consistently with a pipe to his lips; Costner is every bit the Devil Anse Hatfield that we may have imagined from history. A visibly older character, he commands fear and respect from his family, as well as from his enemies. Costners maturity may have shaped him perfectly for this role, as it shows off the gritty edge that could only be gained from decades of experience. His contrast with the religious, rules-abiding Randall McCoy is what really drives the events of the film. Though Costner did not always succeed with this type of role (more on that later), this is definitely one of the highlights of his late career. It may even, down the line, be seen as a classic western series.