Kevin Costner starred as an escaped convict who takes a boy hostage in Clint Eastwood’s 1993 film, A Perfect World. Eastwood was given the script right after his Oscar-winning film Unforgiven. He intended to take a break from the double duty of directing and acting, however, Costner convinced him to play the role of Texas Ranger Red Garnett. Interestingly, Costner and Eastwood did not see eye to eye on many of the creative decisions in the film.
A Perfect World was initially pitched to Steven Spielberg, who had to turn down the project as he was busy with Jurassic Park. When Eastwood was onboarded as the director, he initially wanted Denzel Washington to play the role of the escaped convict Butch in the film.
Kevin Costner Stormed Off Clint Eastwood’s Movie Set Due To Creative Differences
According to writer John Lee Hancock and producer Mark Johnson, Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood were an unconventional team-up in A Perfect World. Many predicted that the duo working together on the film may produce some dire results. For those who know them, Eastwood was a filmmaker who took the minimum shots to complete a film at the maximum speed, while Costner was a perfectionist (via LA Times).
Initially, the Yellowstone actor was not much concerned about Eastwood’s creative decisions as a director. His only concern was to get the Dirty Harry actor to play the Texas Ranger role in the film. However, as the filming progressed, problems began to brew up between the two actors/filmmakers. Eastwood did not prefer rehearsals for the scenes in his movie, something that Costner vehemently opposed.
Costner, as an actor and filmmaker, wanted to discuss every scene in a film in order to capture them perfectly. This difference in perspective was a major problem at the set, which even led to Costner storming off the set at one point (via TV Tropes). However, it did not affect the product that the duo put out.
Critics had some great words of praise for both Kevin Costner’s performance and Clint Eastwood’s direction. Many critics cite the film as one of the best works of Eastwood (via Collider). The film grossed $135 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo). However, it was not a commercial success in the U.S. and Canada.
Denzel Washington Almost Played Kevin Costner’s Character In A Perfect World
While Denzel Washington is one of the best actors in the world now, there were several roles that he either missed out on due to his own decision or because the casting directors did not want him. One such role was Butch in Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World. Eastwood reportedly wanted Washington to play the central character, but he turned down the role (via TV Tropes).
Washington also famously turned down parts in Se7en, I, Robot, Michael Clayton, and Amistad. He revealed that he regretted turning down the role in David Fincher‘s film. Washington also could’ve starred in a minor role in Furious 7 but he turned down the role as well.
According to another trivia about A Perfect World on TV Tropes, it is one of Clint Eastwood’s favorite movies among his directorial ventures. The film is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
