Clint Eastwood only starred in this 1993 thriller, which he also directed because Kevin Costner rewrote the script

Clint Eastwood directed and starred in several films, but only worked with Kevin Costner on a 1993 thriller because the younger actor rewrote the script. Both Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner are legends of the Western genre, both in front of and behind the camera. Eastwood’s best Westerns include legendary films like Dollars trilogy and Unforgivableand he also directed hits like Million Dollar Baby and Gran Turin. Likewise, Costner has had his fair share of major acting successes like Field of Dreams and JFKas well as hugely successful directorial outings such as Dances with Wolves.

Despite their success, Eastwood and Costner only appeared together in one film, and it wasn’t even a traditional Western. 1993 A perfect world was a crime thriller about an escaped convict who kidnaps a boy and puts Costner and Eastwood on opposite sides of the law. What’s more interesting than the film’s genre, however, is the fact that Eastwood almost refused to be in it, and he only took on his role because Costner rewrote large parts of the script.

How and Why Kevin Costner Convinced Clint Eastwood to Star With Him in A Perfect World

Costner knew that partnering with Eastwood would be a great marketing opportunity

The only film Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood worked on together was the 1993 film A perfect world. According to the LA Times, Eastwood agreed to direct the film after Steven Spielberg turned it down in favor of Jurassic Parkbut he just wanted to be behind the camera, not appear as an actor. Eastwood said he was tired of working on both sides of the camera and wanted to slow down and have less “heartache” as he got older. Eastwood eventually got Costner to play Butch, but Costner wanted Eastwood to star alongside him.

So, as producer Mark Johnson explained, Costner worked with screenwriter John Lee Hancock to transform Red Garnett into a more compelling character to entice Eastwood to play the role. Hancock also mentioned that Costner seemed to understand how important seeing himself and Eastwood on screen together would be to the film’s marketing and chances of success.

“In fact, he sat down with John (Hancock) and worked on the script for a few weeks – ironically, not to work on his character, but to work on Red’s character and seduce Clint by giving him more things to do.”

Costner and Hancock’s rewrite ended up working, and Eastwood played the role of Red, saying Red “was changed so that he had some interest in being there.” Laura Dern’s character Sally Gerber also helped influence Eastwood’s decision, as she had a line that revealed Red was seeking redemption.. As Eastwood explained, Red’s focus on redemption was a big draw, and he said, “I’d rather play that rather than play a guy who comes in and says, ‘OK, I’m going to shoot him, partner!’ This is very annoying. At this stage in my life, I’ve done it all. There are younger guys who can do this.”

A Perfect World was considered a disappointment for Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner

A Perfect World was supposed to be a huge success, but it was only an average success

With the combined talents of Clint Eastwood and Kevin Costner, A perfect world it ended up being a modest success. It grossed US$135 million at the worldwide box office (via Mojo Box Office) against a budget of just $30 million, and scored a respectable 78% in Rotten tomatoes. Although A perfect world was relatively successful, it was not seen as a big enough victory for a pair of legendary actors like Eastwood and Costner. The thriller only grossed $31 million domestically, and American audiences probably didn’t like its dark subject matter and brooding tone (via New York Times).

Part of the reason A perfect worldThe domestic box office performance was so dismal because of what Eastwood and Costner had managed to achieve just a few years earlier. Both actors had hugely successful solo projects that are considered some of the best Western films ever made in the early 1990s. Eastwood did Unforgivable in 1992, which grossed $101 million domestically, and Costner made Dances with wolves in 1990, which grossed US$184 million domestically and US$424 million worldwide. The pairing of Costner and Eastwood should have been a recipe for smash success, but A perfect world it was only an average success.

Kevin Costner didn’t exactly catch Clint Eastwood’s torch

Costner’s failures in the 1990s prevented him from taking Eastwood’s place

Not only did A perfect world It wasn’t the huge success it was supposed to be, but it wasn’t a passing of the torch either. Part of the film’s allure was supposed to be pairing legendary Western actor Clint Eastwood with young Western actor Kevin Costner. It’s possible that Costner wanted A perfect world to symbolize Eastwood passing the torch to him as the new dominant young actor of the 1990s, but failed to do so. Eastwood continued directing and acting for over 30 years, and Costner had a few misfires that kept him from achieving the same legendary status.

In the following years A perfect worldKevin Costner made some serious mistakes and created some damaging box office flops. The following year, 1994, he released Wyatt Earpwhich was immediately overshadowed by Kurt Russell’s 1993 western Tombstone. Then in 1995, Costner made his infamous Aquatic worlda film that is best known for how much money it lost in theaters. In 1997, Costner made his second worst-reviewed film, The postmanwhich grossed just US$17 million against a budget of US$80 million. A perfect world should have been the beginning of Costner’s rise to Eastwood’s level of fame, but instead it was the beginning of a series of failures.

Although the 1990s were difficult for Kevin Costner, he managed to survive and continue to have a successful career in the 2000s and beyond. Some of Kevin Costner’s best films came in the first quarter of the 21st century, such as Open Range and Molly’s gameas well as his role as John Dutton on the neo-western TV show yellow stone. Still, though, his string of failures kept Costner from facing Clint Eastwoodis holding the torch as one of the best working actors, although A perfect world I tried to make that happen.

Sources: LA Times, Mojo Box Office, Rotten tomatoes, New York Times