A handsome Kevin Costner walked the Red Carpet at the AFI Screening of The Company Men, the Weinstein Company film he stars in alongside Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones. Costner was accompanied by his wife, Christine Baumgartner, who remained close by the actors side. Craig T. Nelson, who also stars in the film, was also at the premiere being admired by fans like the one who came up to the tall actor and said that he loved Nelson’s “voice.” Was that a pass? At the after party held at The Roosevelt Hotel, Costner made his way quickly to the Audi Lounge while not letting go of his other half. Meanwhile, Craig worked the crowd in the main room, mingling and towering over most of the other guests.
Kevin Costner and wife, Christine Baumgartner image: alberto e. rodriguez/getty
As you can expect, the caliber of highly lauded actors (all of the male stars have won Oscars, or an Emmy in Nelson’s case) in The Company of Men led to some pretty amazing performances. A brilliant Chris Cooper painted a very gripping picture of a troubled executive who couldn’t deal with the fact that he had been terminated from his decades long career. Tommy Lee Jones showed what it felt like to be betrayed by a best friend, while dealing with the moral conflicts within his marriage. Costner wasn’t on screen that much, and when he was, he was a man of few words. But, I thought he gave a strong performance as a tough, blue collar construction worker with a heart of gold. And Ben Affleck did quite well playing a overly proud father and husband struggling with unemployment and trying to find his professional identity. Nelson stood out as the greedy CEO looking to satisfy his own ego, rather than deal with the needs of his once cherished employees. A story all too familiar nowadays.
Writer/Director John Wells with Craig T. Nelson image: alberto e. rodriguez/getty
