Kevin Costner insisted they didn’t ‘pretty me up’ for ‘Criminal’

LOS ANGELES — At 61 years of age, Kevin Costner is arguably still one of the best-looking actors in Hollywood, but the Oscar winner was most insistent his handsome appearance be significantly played down for his starring role in “Criminal” (opening Friday.)

“I told the producers that they couldn’t pretty me up for this role,” said the actor with his famous, ironic chuckle. “It reminds the audience of the pain he’s been put through. I think it’s helpful that you see those scars. It was very important to me that it’s not a beautiful, cosmetic look for that guy. You believe the story because you see his head all torn up.”

In the film, Costner plays a vicious death row inmate who is taken by the CIA and used in a desperate effort to stop an international terrorist plot. The concept centers on implanting the memories, secrets and skills of a dead CIA agent (played by Ryan Reynolds) — in the hope of completing that operative’s original mission.

According to Costner, his Jericho Stewart character is “a mixed bag. In the film, you see who he is today, you see who he was — and you see who he is starting to become because of the memory transfer from the Ryan Reynolds character.”

Another aspect of the role that appealed to the actor was the chance to play “this straight criminal. I don’t think I’ve ever played anyone close to him before. This is a guy they extract right from prison, thinking they can control him, and to a certain degree they do.

“But also I liked how he is very unpredictable when he’s out there in the world for the first time in many years. He’s kind of funny in terms of what he likes, what he eats and other personal peccadilloes. He takes on a language, having no idea what he’s speaking, and then when they take that away from him, he gets very upset. … He’s a strange dude, that’s for sure. But that’s what made him fun to play.”

Audience members “may very well feel Jericho’s pain as they watch the film,” he said. “But that is important. If we are going to pull off this leap-of-faith movie — all about memory transfer — then I felt it vital we show that he has a tremendous scar and two bored holes into his head.

“As I said earlier, I told them, ‘Let’s not doll me up. Let’s go the other way and make it more graphic and gritty and realistic.’ ”

The promotional line says “Criminal” is about “the right man in the wrong body” — referring to the memory switching — and Costner agreed, “That about sums it up, yes indeed.

“It also presents a character who was perfect for the CIA’s purposes. Because, if this process did not work, they hadn’t really risked much, because they didn’t care about him. Jericho realized he was trash to them. He knew he was simply being used. But he also loved having the joyous experience of being out of jail, when he didn’t have to do those things the agency had programmed him to do.”