Kevin Costner is still determined to go his own way

THRILLS: Kevin Costner stars in 3 Days to Kill.

These past few years, it’s been pretty hard to get Kevin Costner off his back porch. It’s in Aspen, so we kind of understand. He’s been raising three children under the age of 10, with his second wife, Christine.

“Half my life is driving kids to practice,” he jokes.

There were the business ventures — one of them Ocean Therapy Solutions, an oil spill cleaning system — became famous thanks to the BP oil spill. Another, ArmStar, is a non-lethal weapon he’s selling to the Pentagon that could allow the military and police to pacify violent situations without killing anybody.

“A lotta fascinating (stuff) happens on my back porch,” Costner says with a laugh. “And I’ve never been a guy who makes movies back to back to back. I love movies, love acting, love directing. Hell, I even love rehearsing. But I have a more full life than that.”

He still, at age 59, fits that description film scholar David Thomson gave him in 2002’s “Biographical Dictionary of Film”: “He is not like others — he has resolved not to be.”

But 2012’s hit cable TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys reminded us he’s out there. He gave heart to the special effects-burdened Man of Steel, and grizzled gravitas to Chris Pine and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

April has the sports movie veteran in another sports movie — Draft Day. There’s McFarland and a film with his Upside of Anger director, Mike Binder — Black and White.

“I financed it, and it deals with racism,” he says. “You don’t do it just for the money, because God knows you don’t put your own money up for movies about racism.”

But first, there’s this gonzo action comedy from the writer-producer of The Transporter movies, 3 Days to Kill. Costner plays CIA contract killer Ethan Renner, a “cleaner,” who learns he’s dying of cancer. His new control agent (Amber Heard) bribes him with a serum that might prolong his life, providing he carry out one last series of hits, in Paris, where his estranged wife (Connie Nielsen) and the teen daughter he barely knows (Hailee Steinfeld) live.

“I like Ethan’s directness — in his job, and how discombobulated he becomes trying to deal with the women in his life,” Costner says. “We played those scenes fun, because he’s struggling.”

He likes, he says, the fact that this character hasn’t a clue about women — especially teenage ones.

“Welcome to the human race,” Costner laughs. “If you know a lot about women, please write that book. For the rest of us. Give us a hand.”

Costner shows every wrinkle, every grey hair in 3 Days. He may be “a national treasure,” as his director, McG (Joseph McGinty Nichol) (Charlie’s Angels), declares. But he’s not shy about showing his age, in character and out of it.

Costner wanted to play a man “wed to his job,” who has paid the price for that. He wanted to play a dying man who does what guys sometimes do in that situation — “He wants to earn a lot of money, doing these last few jobs, so he can leave his family something. If he can’t leave them memories, he’ll leave them money.”

Not that this explains Costner’s own suddenly full movie dance card. He’ll admit he’s in “the second half of my career,” but don’t go measuring him for a coffin just yet. And don’t write off 3 Days as a morose thriller. No, it’s got laughs. Ethan Renner is so out of his depth with his daughter that he interrupts “enhanced interrogations” to question family men from the terrorist underworld for child-rearing advice.

“I try to get my hammer without winking,” Costner says. “I try to get the laugh with my physical movement, in those scenes with (the terrorists). By making it quiet, you make it work. And asking parenting questions of those guys? It’s already funny.” — By Roger Moore/MCT

Kit Harington accepts being typecast

Actor Kit Harington, who plays sword-wielding roles in popular TV Series Game Of Thrones and his latest film Pompeii, accepts that he has been typecast. “I think a lot of actors early in their career get somewhat typecast in these roles, and I definitely am, as far as period pieces or sword-wielding action heroes, and that seems to be the thing I’m doing or have done at the moment,” Harington said in a statement. “That is thanks to Game Of Thrones. And when this piece came along I was actually sort of, having done a couple of fantasy things, thinking, ‘I don’t want to do another one.’ This wasn’t fantasy. It was historical. It was swords and sandals. I had a bit of reluctance,” he added. — IANS

Pattinson wants to go behind the camera

Twilight star Robert Pattinson reportedly wants to focus on being behind the camera. The 27-year-old is said to be growing tired of the constant adoration from millions of fans. “The cost of fame is the thing he and Kristen Stewart used to complain about all day and that hasn’t changed at all for him,” radaronline.com quoted a source as saying. So now, he “is looking at a whole new approach to his future and is even considering going to theatre school to focus more on getting behind the camera,” said the source. “Rob’s been talking to a lot of independent filmmakers, and -­ the last thing he wants to do is act in another blockbuster. He would like to direct a movie one day,” added the source.

Teresa Palmer becomes a mother

Actress Teresa Palmer, who is married to actor Mark Webber, has given birth to her first child. The 27-year-old has named the infant Bodhi Rain Palmer, reports contactmusic.com.

Palmer took to image sharing website Instagram to share a photo of their new born baby grasping her finger. She added a caption that reads, “Thank you God for blessing us with the most divine gift of our baby son. Introducing Bodhi Rain Palmer born safely, lovingly and naturally last night. 8lbs (pounds) even.” She further added: “Bodhi means ‘Enlightened one’ Rain means ‘Abundant Blessings From Above’ and we chose Palmer as his last name as Mark’s son Isaac didn’t take his dad’s name either. Thanks for all the blessings and love everyone.” — IANS

Emma Roberts’ tryst with reality

Actress Emma Roberts says she got life’s first reality check when she moved out of her parents’ house at the age of 18.

The actress, now 23, was horrified that she had to buy her own toilet paper when she moved in on her own, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “My first reality check was when I moved into my own apartment when I was 18. I was like, ‘Wait, I have to buy my own toilet paper? And I have to wash my own clothes? I miss my mom!’ It’s stuff like that you don’t think about as a kid. Being an adult is not glamorous,” Roberts told OK! magazine.

Roberts is engaged to her American Horror Story co-star Evan Peters and says she loves to feature alongside people she is close to. “I love jobs where you get to work with people you love and are friends with. It just makes the day go by faster,” Roberts said. — IANS

BLESSED: Teresa Palmer