Just before the divorce announcement, Costner revealed what was coming. During an interview with the ‘Daily News’, he confided: “The temptations are pretty strong—and there’s a hungry world out there waiting for you to fall. So you can’t even dabble without paying a huge price. I try to conduct my life with a certain amount of dignity and discretion—but marriage is a hard, hard gig”.
Marriage is hard work, no doubt, but dealing with the fallout from “dabbling” in extra-marital affairs can be even more trying. Some people say he was known to be a man who instinctively came on to any woman he felt attracted to. By his own admission, “The package isn’t important,” he confided to People magazine in 1989, “I have a real appreciation for women.”
Costner Wanted to Go His Own Way
People believed they had a great marriage. He seemed to be a caring and loving and honest man. He and Cindy even owned a racehorse named “Proudtobetogether,” what else were fans to think? However, there were other interviews. In 1987 he was not subtle when he said, I have a big thirst.
A big taste for things . . . I hate the fact that I’ve lived by somebody else’s rules and I’ve somehow missed out on something.” People in the business and close friends were not fooled. But fans were disappointed with the contradiction to the straight-shooter image they loved.
Marital Bliss Comes to an End
The two worked hard putting together Costner’s critically acclaimed film 'Dances With Wolves', the blockbuster movie that won six Oscars. He toiled on the film set while she did some stage managing and boosted morale during the long South Dakota shoot by hosting film crew parties. She already had a full-time job taking care of their kids.
However, not long after, rumors of Costner’s infidelity began hitting the tabloids. They worked hard to keep their marriage together, but the affairs became too much for Cindy and Costner had no will to cease his amorous involvements. Finally, they announced the end. In a divorce statement, they wrote, “After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage. We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached.” In 1994, the divorce was final.
More Than One Affair
Once free from his 16-year marriage and living as a bachelor, Costner had some oats to sow, one might say. But prior to the divorce, he sowed a few oats as well. In an unconfirmed report, Costner is said to have been involved in an extra-marital affair with Halle Berry in 1989, during the darker days of his marriage to Cindy Silva. Halle Berry was just establishing herself as an actress when the steamy affair was said to have taken place.
They began dating around the time Halle starred in 12 episodes of 'Living Dolls'. Costner, for his part, was in the middle of 'Field of Dreams' and enjoying the shower of fame 'Dances With Wolves' brought him. Both actors have never mentioned the time they spent together, but they are still friends. The two have often been spotted hanging out together.
Hitting the Tabloid Headlines Once Again
Risking more tabloid exposure while still married, Costner spent some time wooing Michelle Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer is famous for 'Scarface', 'Dangerous Liaisons', and 'Batman Returns', and many more. Incidentally, Bridgett Rooney also played the feline 'Batman' character.
Whether or not Costner has a weakness for women who portray Cat Woman is hard to say, but he did want to play Michelle Pfieffer’s love interest in the Italian love story 'Taming Ben Taylor'. Unfortunately for him, the film never made it out of production. Still, tabloid headlines were shooting off sparks with the prospect.