Western titans Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood teamed up only once, in 1993’s A Perfect World, and reported on-set clashes on the crime thriller may explain why the iconic duo never worked together again.

If you figured Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood teamed up a bunch of times, nope. Two titans of the western only crossed paths once, on

1993’s crime drama A Perfect World. And based on how that shoot allegedly went, it makes sense they never tried a sequel collaboration.

 

 

Costner stars as Robert, an escaped prisoner on the run. Eastwood directs and also plays Texas Ranger Chief Red Garnett, the lawman tracking him. It is not a western, but it is very much in Eastwood’s zone: lean, efficient, no fuss.

Eastwood is famous for shooting fast, keeping budgets tight, and limiting takes. He runs a calm set but expects everyone to be ready and on time. According to Far Out, that philosophy clashed with Costner during A Perfect World when Costner reportedly showed up late. Rather than halt the day, Eastwood kept the cameras rolling and used Costner’s stand-in to grab a quick shot that made the final cut.

 

As you can imagine, Costner did not love finding out his body double is in the movie. The two reportedly had heated words. The specifics of that exchange were never made public, but the takeaway is pretty clear: on an Eastwood production, the schedule outranks the star. It is also exactly the kind of discipline that explains how he’s churned out films for decades without drama.

Here’s the twist: Eastwood initially did not plan to appear on screen at all. Producer Mark Johnson says Costner essentially rewrote the part of Red to make it enticing enough that Eastwood would step in front of the camera.

So, the same guy who butted heads with Eastwood also helped engineer one of Eastwood’s better later-career performances. Hollywood is full of that kind of contradiction.

Quick hit on the movie
IMDb: 7.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% critics, 84% audience
Box office: $135.13 million
Runtime: 138 minutes
Is it overlooked? Yeah, a bit
A Perfect World gets less attention than their headline credits, but it is absolutely worth a watch. Costner is sharp, Eastwood is steady, and their scenes together have a quiet snap to them. It is a shame they never worked together again, but given the reported set tensions, I get why.

Where to watch
A Perfect World is available to rent on Apple TV in the U.S.

Seen it lately? Hit the comments and tell me where you land on the Costner-Eastwood dynamic here.