Short Takes : Costner Liked Folks on Location

Actor Kevin Costner says having his wife, children and parents on location on the South Dakota prairie while filming “Dances With Wolves” was a distraction, but worth it.

“You sometimes find yourself thinking, ‘I could do this better if I was by myself,”’ he said in the Nov. 19 issue of People magazine. “Then you think, ‘Yet I’d miss two months with my son--two months with my family.’ ”

Costner, 35, stars and debuted as a director in the saga of a cavalryman who befriends a tribe of Sioux.

He brought along his wife Cindy, their three children, Annie, 6, Lily, 4 and Joe, 2 and his parents. He even gave them roles as pioneers in the movie’s opening scene.