Who Kevin Costner Played in ‘Wyatt Earp’, Explained
One of many Western movies that starred Kevin Costner, Wyatt Earp had to go into a harsh competition with pretty much the same-themed movie and eventually lost it — here’s what the actor said about the matter back in the day.
Now developing his own critically failing, but still ambitious Western franchise Horizon: An American Saga, Kevin Costner has been a vet of the genre for way longer than some of his fans can imagine.
Before rising to stardom even higher with Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, the actor spent years directing and starring in Western movies, with some of those turning out to be a pretty big disappointment.
This might be also the case for Costner’s 1994 biographical epic Western drama Wyatt Earp which, ironically, hit theatres just months after another adaptation of the same story had a way more successful run.
Here’s everything to know about Kevin Costner’s role in Wyatt Earp, as well as the movie’s connection to a 1993 Western cult classic.
Who Did Kevin Costner Play in ‘Wyatt Earp’?
There’s no lengthy explanation of the actor’s role since in the movie Costner portrayed Wyatt Earp himself, a real-life historical figure and American lawman.
Earp’s life and career reached a turning point after a gunfight at the O.K. Corral in the town of Tombstone in Arizona, with the event ultimately becoming an archetype of the American Old West.
In the movie, however, the entire focus is on the character’s determination to follow the law and keep his family from troubles when the imminent war between his fellow lawmen and criminal gangs break out.
Apart from Costner, Wyatt Earp also stars Gene Hackman, Mark Harmon, Catherine O’Hara, Isabella Rossellini and many others.
‘Wyatt Earp’ Didn’t Stand the Test of Competition With ‘Tombstone’
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The movie’s theatrical release came only six months after Tombstone, another biopic about Wyatt Earp’s life starring Kurt Russell, ended its run.
Since two separate films were centring on the same historical figure, Wyatt Earp couldn’t get evoked without Tombstone also mentioned and vice versa, though critics still felt like Kurt Russell’s portrayal of Wyatt Earp was more accurate.
“I love Wyatt, or I just love that movie. We got into a level of competition with Tombstone. A good friend said, "Look, we can postpone this movie. We don't wanna compete." And I said, "Look," I said, "I'm sure this writer, director wants to make this movie, let them." And then this kind of space race started. And I always regretted that there was this kind of weird competition, and it was a fun movie, Tombstone, but it's too bad it went the way it went”, Costner revealed in an interview with GQ.
Wyatt Earp got mixed reviews and bombed in the box office, grossing around $56 million against its budget of $63 million.
