"We Had a Falling Out": Director Details His Feud with Kevin Costner
A long and successful partnership between two Hollywood Kevins came to a dramatic end on the set of one of cinema's most infamous disasters. The director finally opens up about what really happened with the star and why it took them years to finally make peace.
Kevin Costner's career has been a wild ride, marked by incredible highs and spectacular lows. From Academy Award glory to critically panned projects, his next move is always a gamble. You might get a cultural phenomenon like Yellowstone, or you might get The Postman. But his professional journey would be incomplete without the influence of another Kevin.
A Promising Start
Filmmaker and writer Kevin Reynolds, an Emmy nominee, shares a long and complicated history with the actor. Reynolds’ first movie, Fandango, a comedy about a group of college buddies on one last road trip, is now a beloved cult classic. That film also marked Costner's first time in a leading role, kicking off a powerful creative partnership between the two men that would produce two more movies.
Disaster on the High Seas
Unfortunately, their third project together was Waterworld. The movie's production is infamous in Hollywood lore as one of the most troubled shoots in history. As the massive sets fell apart, so did the relationship between its star and director. Speaking with The Sunday Times, Reynolds opened up about the conflict that drove them apart for years. “He asserted himself,” Reynolds stated. “We had discussions, then arguments, and then a falling out. It’s not something I want to go into in detail. But it took years for us to get over it. I think Kevin’s more comfortable in his skin now.”
Costner's ego was understandably inflated at the time. He was at the peak of his stardom, coming off a string of hits like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, also directed by Reynolds. He was also a producer on Waterworld, giving him a vested financial interest in its success. The pressure on both of them to make a return on the unprecedented budget was immense.
Reconciliation and Redemption
Filming on the open water proved to be a logistical nightmare, just as Steven Spielberg had famously warned. Tempers flared under the intense conditions. “It was difficult, no doubt about it,” Reynolds recalled. “We had some serious arguments. There was so much pressure on the film itself because, at the time, it was the most expensive ever made. The press were after us from early on, willing us to fail.”
In the end, the two Kevins managed to bury the hatchet. Although they haven't collaborated on a feature film since, Reynolds directed Costner in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, another project that saw the actor don a cowboy hat. The reunion was a resounding success, earning Reynolds an Emmy nomination for his direction while Costner won for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie’. It was a fitting end to a long and bumpy road.