<P> Robert Duvall was the only actor that Costner had in mind for the role of Boss Spearman . Costner said that if Duvall had turned down the part, he might not have made the movie at all . Duvall accepted the role immediately, and Costner gave him top billing . Duvall got bucked off a horse and broke six ribs while practicing his riding for this role . </P> <P> Cinematographer J. Michael Muro, was hand - picked by director Kevin Costner for his work on Dances With Wolves . </P> <P> The movie was filmed on location on the Stoney Indian Reserve in Alberta, Canada . Clayton Lefthand of the Stoney Sioux First Nation worked as a film liaison . </P> <P> Filming took place from June 17, 2002 to September 8, 2002 . Production spent over one million dollars to build a town from scratch because Costner didn't like any of the existing ones . This location was so far from civilization that they had to spend $40,000 to build a road to get there . Professional cowboys handled 225 head of cattle on the set . </P>

Where was the movie open range shot at