Scott Eastwood says his father once removed Kevin Costner from a scene rather than allow a disagreement to delay production.
The alleged incident occurred during the making of the 1993 crime drama A Perfect World, which Clint Eastwood directed and starred in alongside Costner.
During an August 3 appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Scott presented the story as an example of his father maintaining authority without shouting or escalating a confrontation.
He also made clear that the account was secondhand and that he might not remember every detail correctly.
Scott Said Costner Would Not Leave His Trailer
“I heard a legendary story, and I’m sort of going to paraphrase it, and I’ll probably tell it a little wrong,” Scott began, according to Entertainment Weekly’s report on the interview.
He suggested that Costner was experiencing a rapid rise in fame at the time and “maybe got a big ego.” Scott then claimed the actor would not come out of his trailer for an unspecified reason.
Costner entered production on A Perfect World after directing and starring in the Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves and leading major releases including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, JFK and The Bodyguard.
Clint Eastwood Allegedly Changed the Scene
According to Scott, his father responded calmly when he learned that Costner was not coming to the set. “So he just said, ‘Well, send him home then,’” Scott recalled.
When crew members reminded Clint that Costner was needed for the scene, the director reportedly repeated the instruction. Scott said someone then approached Costner and told him he could leave for the day.
“He said, ‘What do you mean? I’m in the scene,’” Scott recalled. “They said, ‘Well, I guess you’re not anymore. Clint changed that.’” Clint’s willingness to alter the scene rather than wait reportedly ended the standoff without a prolonged argument. “That’s the pecking order,” Scott joked. “I think the next day he was on set ready to go.”
Clint Discouraged Actors From Hiding in Their Trailers
Scott connected the Costner story to his father’s broader approach to filmmaking. He said Clint generally avoided spending unnecessary time in a trailer and expected actors to remain near the set, observe the crew and participate in the collective process of making the movie.
“He’s like, ‘Just be on set. Stay on,’” Scott explained. Clint passed the same lesson to his son when Scott was learning about film production.
“He always told me too as a kid, ‘You want to learn how to make movies? You want to learn how to do this? You stay here with everybody else and you make the damn movie.’” Scott said the story demonstrated how his father could maintain control without relying on anger or theatrical displays of authority.