“Imagination” Continues To Drive 70-Year-Old Kevin Costner Forward, Keeps Him From Considering Retirement

The word “retirement” isn’t in Kevin Costner‘s vocabulary.

Costner celebrated his 70th birthday in January. The former Yellowstone star marked the occasion by sharing a photo of himself as a child. He was dressed up like a bona fide cowboy…much like the characters he’s since had the chance to play in his various projects.

“Thank you guys for the birthday wishes,” Costner captioned the picture. “If you can believe it, this is me. I was chasing the cowboy life just about as soon as I could walk, and here I am doing it still. Here’s to another year of keeping our sights set on our dreams.”

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Costner still has many dreams he wants to fulfill, and he’s always discovering new ones. During a recent interview with PEOPLE, he shared how his “imagination” continues to fuel his drive and creative spirit.

But there is one thing Costner can’t imagine for himself…retirement.

“I don’t even think about retiring, because I’ll just move to the next thing that captures my imagination,” he said.

He added, “imagination is what determines what I do, not a boss,”

Costner Doesn’t Have A “Bucket List”

While Costner has a lot of hopes and dreams for the future, he doesn’t have a true “bucket list.” He told PEOPLE he has a list of sorts, but he doesn’t call it a bucket list.

“I don’t have those things. I have that list, [but] I don’t refer to it that way. But certainly my eyes and my enthusiasms are wide open and very big.”

He added, “I’ve so enjoyed life and imagining what I can do, what can I be about and what makes a difference. Not only to me, but to other people. What just satisfies me?”

One thing that satisfies Costner is working in front of and behind the camera. Following his departure from Yellowstone, Costner devoted himself to his Horizon film series. The saga is expected to have four installments, but only one film has been released.

Horizon: Chapter 2 was initially slated for an August 2024 theatrical debut, but that debut has been indefinitely postponed. The movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September 2024. It made its American debut at the Santa Barbara Film Fest in February.

With multiple Horizon films still in the works, it’s no wonder that Kevin Costner isn’t even thinking about retirement right now!