Kevin Costner’s Famous Film Ignited a Fierce Rivalry With Clint Eastwood

More and more star power tied to a project usually sparked proportional excitement for it—and indeed, A Perfect World was a well-received triumph from a dream team of a cast and crew. But it also provided the perfect playground for star Kevin Costner to get on the very wrong side of director Clint Eastwood.

Since launching his career in the ‘50s, Eastwood has been involved in over 60 films as an actor, director, producer, and even composer. His no-nonsense attitude has led to some clashes over the years, but it seems Costner, in particular, knew how to push Eastwood and his patience beyond his limits. Here’s how it all fell apart behind-the-scenes of this drama film.

Released in 1993, the crime thriller drama A Perfect World stars Costner as an escaped convict who kidnaps a boy, whom he uses as a hostage to escape to freedom with. Eastwood, in addition to directing, also plays the Texas Ranger on the hunt for Costner’s character.

At one point in the filming process, Eastwood summoned Costner to shoot a scene. However, Costner was not ready. He was unprepared and he reportedly made a very huge deal about it.

Well, fine, Eastwood reportedly appeared to reason. Intent on moving the show—or film—right along, he then instructed the crew, “Find his extra and put a shirt on him.” They did just that, and Eastwood proceeded to film the scene with an extra walking through the film that was their current setting.

There are plenty of stories of crew members clashing for various reasons. But some individuals come with reputations that well precede them. Costner himself has been the subject of some Yellowstone drama in recent years.

This pattern of behavior also reportedly popped up in 1991’s Robin Hood. After Costner and director Kevin Reynolds started off with a solid friendship, their relationship allegedly deteriorated while filming, and the two argued over how much of an English accent Costner should have. They also reportedly argued over Costner’s screen time and the film’s storyline.

A Perfect World represented an unstoppable force meeting an unmovable object. For one thing, Eastwood had originally envisioned Denzel Washington in the main role, not Costner. That allowed Costner and Eastwood to cross paths and clash in their respective styles. Fandom Wire notes that while Eastwood preferred efficiency and to minimize the number of takes any scene got, Costner was a perfectionist who would exhaustively revisit the same scene over and over. It was a perfect storm of stubborn personalities that somehow forged a critical and box office success that’s regarded as one of Eastwood’s best.