CNN: When you were talking to the students, you spoke a lot about being fearless.

Costner: Their choices are going to be questioned not only by their colleagues, but by their parents. You only get one shot at this life. They can go to college and learn a lot of things, but they should also be encouraged to try things, even if they don’t succeed. I am trying — even if I don’t succeed. You know, failure is completely underrated in America. (smiles)

“Failure is completely underrated in America.” What you are doing on the campuses is giving young people the opportunity to experience the possibility of failure. Courage and self-confidence in the face of that possibility will be an essential trait throughout their lives. And we all know if they will do the things we can teach them and show them how to do, they will not fail. They will have confronted the possibility, and then through their own efforts (and with the help of everyone in our company who works so hard to assist them) triumph over it.