Authored by Elma Aksalic via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

“Yellowstone” star Kevin Costner is one of many celebrities expressing their patriotism this holiday weekend, weighing in on what America means to him.

Kevin Costner takes part in ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ Town Hall hosted by Jessica Shaw in New York City on June 18, 2024. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

During an interview with Fox News Digital, the 69-year-old spoke on the importance of celebrating Independence Day and why it holds greater meaning.

“It is an opportunity to look back at the journey of America, and before America was America, there is something to protect here. There is something to celebrate,” he said.

When it comes to protecting the country, Mr. Costner believes Americans should put ego aside and come together to prioritize “what is good for the nation,” specifically when making a decision come November.

“That is a public service. [It] should be about the public, to begin with. Not about someone’s next four years. It can’t be … It has to be first and foremost about what’s broken here, and there’s always gonna be something to be done. How do we fit in the world? What is our place?” he said.

The actor’s latest film, “Horizon: An American Saga,” revolves around American history detailing the expansion of the West and how the country grew to spread from ocean to ocean.

Mr. Costner stars and directs the movie, even co-writing the script that tells a darker side of history, focusing on the plight of Native Americans during that time.

“You can’t tell the story unless you bump into that. You can’t talk about anything without understanding who was here before us,” he told Entertainment Weekly.

‘Greatest Country in the World’

Meanwhile, country singer Jason Aldean echoed Mr. Costner’s sentiment and love for the nation, saying freedom comes with being American, and calling it the “greatest country in the world.”

“I think we live in the best country in the world … we get the chance to go and still have the American dream. You can come from nothing and build something and make something out of your life, out of yourself and change your life, your family’s life.”

Despite the trials and tribulations citizens face on a daily basis, Mr. Aldean says there is still so much to be proud of.

“I mean, there’s a reason that everybody else wants to be here and wants to come here. It’s because they don’t have what we have. And so, I’m still very proud of that and proud of our country, even though sometimes it gets a little sideways and a little hard to recognize sometimes,” he said.

“American Pie” singer Don McLean learned from personal experience that being an American means getting back up after being knocked down.

The 78-year-old singer believes in “fair play” and “respect” across the board, after finding himself down in life.

“I had a lot of things happen to me where I’ve been flattened, and I get up, you know, and I dust myself off,” he recalled.

“You don’t have to win all the time, but if you lose, you realize you lost because you weren’t good enough, so you’ve got to make yourself better, and you’re going to win next time.”