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'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' Star, Kevin Costner Roots For 49ers

(CBS SF) - One of the first blockbuster action films of 2014 is set to release this Friday. In "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," Chris Pine delivers the latest iteration of the iconic role of Jack Ryan. The espionage thriller also stars Kevin Costner, Keira Knightley and Sir Kenneth Branagh, who also steps in as the film's director.

On the day before the 49ers won against the Carolina Panthers, Liam Mayclem sat down with actor, Kevin Costner to talk about his character, "Thomas Harper" in "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit." Costner reveals how he took the opportunity to finally work with his old friend Kenneth Branagh. He also talked about understanding the mantle a great director takes on, especially when they also take on acting duties.

Even though Costner, the avid sports enthusiast he is, respects Carolina Panther Cam Newton, in the end, Liam was able to have him root for the San Francisco 49ers. Costner brings up how difficult it is stay devoted to a team or athlete. "…It's very hard to root against either team. It's really is hard for me, because I love sports." Kevin says. "…the minute you root for somebody, you're rooting against somebody else."

About The Film:

Based on the CIA analyst created by espionage master Tom Clancy, "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" is a blistering action thriller that follows Ryan (Chris Pine, "Star Trek") from his quiet double-life as a veteran-turned-Wall Street executive to his all-out initiation as a hunted American agent on the trail of a massive terrorist plot in Moscow.

Ryan appears to be just another New York executive to his friends and loved ones, but his enlistment into the CIA secretly goes back years. He was brought in as a brainy Ph.D. who crunches global data – but when Ryan ferrets out a meticulously planned scheme to collapse the U.S. economy and spark global chaos, he becomes the only man with the skills to stop it. Now, he's gone fully operational, thrust into a world of mounting suspicion, deception and deadly force. Caught between his tight-lipped handler Harper (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner), his in-the-dark fiancée Cathy (Keira Knightley) and a brilliant Russian oligarch (Kenneth Branagh), Jack must confront a new reality where no one can seem to be trusted, yet the fate of millions rests on his finding the truth. With the urgency of a lit fuse, he's in a race to stay one step ahead of everyone around him.

Previous actors who have donned the role of Jack Ryan include Alec Baldwin in 1990's "The Hunt For Red October," Harrison Ford, 1992's "Patriot Games" and "Clear And Present Danger" in 1994. Then once again by Ben Affleck in 2002's "The Sum of All Fears." Actresses Gates McFadden, Anne Archer and Bridget Moynahan previously played Keira Knightly's character, Cathy Muller (Ryan).

"Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" opens in wide release in theaters Friday, January 17, 2014.

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