{"id":48074,"date":"2025-12-08T09:45:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=48074"},"modified":"2025-12-08T09:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T14:45:38","slug":"kevin-costner-revisits-the-story-of-jesus-birth-through-a-new-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2025\/12\/kevin-costner-revisits-the-story-of-jesus-birth-through-a-new-lens.html","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Costner Revisits the Story of Jesus’ Birth Through a New Lens"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lucky Team Studio \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before he was an Oscar-winning actor and director, Kevin Costner’s very first performance wasn’t on a Hollywood set\u2014it was on a church stage. The “Yellowstone” star recently told The Christian Post<\/em> that his acting debut happened in a simple nativity play. “I was asked to be a shepherd,” he recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t even know what acting was; you just be a shepherd. You have this big, long stick, so don’t fight any kids with it.”<\/p>\n

Now, decades later, the 70-year-old actor is stepping back into that sacred space between faith and storytelling as he hosts Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas,<\/em> a two-hour ABC special airing Dec. 9. The film revisits the Nativity story through dramatic reenactments and Costner’s narration, offering a fresh look at the birth of Jesus. “When I decided to do this, I felt it was really important,” he said. “People may not think of me in that way. I wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t important to me, because of how I was raised. I was raised in a Baptist church.”<\/p>\n

Costner said his goal wasn’t just to appear as a celebrity narrator, but to personally connect with the story and invite others to do the same. “I didn’t want to just be a famous face in front of a religious story,” he explained. “I wanted to be very human about it. The story is the story, and I felt that if I humanized myself a little bit, maybe the entry into a story we think we know so well becomes more human, too.”<\/p>\n

As he explored the ancient story of Mary and Joseph, Costner said he was struck by their youth and the courage they demonstrated. “This was a pregnant, unwed teenage girl, and Joseph was just as young,” he reflected. “They were kids on this incredible journey. It was fraught with danger. Babies were slaughtered over this issue\u2026 They had to protect their lives and protect their child, whom we proclaim as the Son of God. For them, it was a fight for life at such a young age. That really lodged the story for me.”<\/p>\n

Costner admits his faith has been tested, especially as a public figure. “Your life is kind of up for grabs these days\u2026 Sometimes you don’t have the ability to answer back,” he said. “I’ve been tested, but I’ve also been propped up through my religion. Faith is something you hold inside you. You understand it, and it guides how you behave, especially in critical situations.”<\/p>\n

The actor hopes his new project speaks to both believers and skeptics alike. “I invited the cynic to sit with us,” he shared. “They don’t have to believe, but they do recognize that this story has endured.”<\/p>\n

For Costner, the message of Christmas is as powerful as ever: “For Christians, it centers on the birth of this child, the promise that He was coming, and the message He would bring of peace, of how you treat your neighbor, and how you live morally under very tough conditions.”<\/p>\n

He added with a smile, “Just because you have ornaments and decorations doesn’t mean you don’t have faith. It doesn’t mean that God hasn’t had His hands on your life.”<\/p>\n

“Kevin Costner Presents: The First Christmas” airs Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC and will stream the following day on Disney+ and Hulu.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before he was an Oscar-winning actor and director, Kevin Costner’s very first performance wasn’t on a Hollywood set\u2014it was on a church stage. The “Yellowstone” star recently told The Christian Post that his acting debut happened in a simple nativity play. “I was asked to be a shepherd,” he recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":48077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nKevin Costner Revisits the Story of Jesus' Birth Through a New Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kevin Costner reflects on how his faith and church roots inspired his new Nativity special and shaped his lifelong storytelling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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