The Ron Howard movie Kevin Costner refused to star in: “A non-starter”
Few figures in Hollywood are quite as universally beloved as Ron Howard. The filmmaker and actor has managed to maintain a 60-plus-year career, all the while attracting an impressively small number of detractors, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every actor is desperate to work alongside him.
There are some figures in Hollywood for whom certain actors would drop everything to work with; people whose calls you simply don’t ignore and whose scripts you covet even being considered for. Howard, you might assume, is among those people, given just how many incredible, enduring, and award-winning projects he has been involved in over the years. While there is undoubtedly a plethora of performers who would give their right arm to work with Howard, Kevin Costner is not one of them.
A ubiquitous name within the Hollywood realm, Costner simply cannot accept every role that is presented to him, particularly back in the mid-1990s when his prolific output was arguably at its peak. Nevertheless, you would perhaps assume that an offer from Ron Howard to star in his upcoming Apollo 13 project would rise to the top of the pile.
Especially since the pair had already worked together, with Costner making some brief appearances in Howard’s 1982 comedy Night Shift, during the early days of Howard’s filmmaking career.
Costner was an early contender to play the role that Tom Hanks eventually ended up aceing in that classic blockbuster. Seemingly, though, Costner was only ever considered because of the real-life Apollo astronaut that Hanks’ character was based on. “Jim Lovell really wanted Kevin Costner to play him,” Howard revealed in an interview with People Magazine.
“Costner looked a little like him,” the filmmaker continued, “and Costner was just absolutely on fire. Dances with Wolves was the biggest thing.” Nevertheless, the actor wasn’t quick to jump at the chance, leaving Lovell rather disappointed that he wasn’t going to be portrayed by one of the most popular men in Hollywood.
“Costner wasn’t interested, wasn’t available… It was sort of a non-starter.”
Ron Howard
Luckily, Howard found a similarly beloved actor at the top of their game, in the form of Hanks, whose portrayal of Lovell remains one of the defining performances of his extensive and illustrious career in cinema. In the wake of its smash-hit success, Apollo 13 attracted nine Academy Award nominations, of which it won two.
In contrast, the film that Costner ended up starring in instead, 1995’s Waterworld, saw him nominated for a Razzie for ‘Worst Actor’, and the film itself was further nominated for ‘Worst Director’ and ‘Worst Picture’.
In the grand scheme of things, it is fair to say that Costner made a regrettable decision in turning down Howard and Apollo 13, given the strength of that particular project, particularly in comparison to Costner’s output at the time.
Then again, it is difficult to imagine anybody other than Tom Hanks taking on that role, given just how legendary a performance he gave. Despite Lovell’s disappointment, then, perhaps Kevin Costner’s inability or lack of motivation to appear in the film all worked out for the best.
