The Time Clint Eastwood Replaced Kevin Costner with a Stand-In – And Costner Didn’t Win the Argument

In Hollywood, few figures command more respect—or instill more fear—on a film set than Clint Eastwood. With a career spanning over six decades as both an actor and director, Eastwood has built a legacy defined by efficiency, quiet authority, and an almost mythic reputation for running a tight ship. He’s known for never going over budget, rarely shooting more than two takes, and treating every day on set as a chance to get the job done without drama. Yet, as smooth as Eastwood’s sets typically run, there was one time—and only one—when a major star dared to argue with him: Kevin Costner.

The clash occurred during the making of A Perfect World (1993), a crime thriller that saw Eastwood directing Costner at the peak of the younger actor’s fame. Fresh off the massive success of The Bodyguard, Costner was riding high, accustomed to having productions bend to his schedule. But Eastwood’s sets are no democracy. When Costner delayed filming, claiming he wasn’t ready, Eastwood’s reaction was swift and uncompromising.

Rather than waiting, Eastwood turned to his crew and issued a curt order: “Find his extra and put a shirt on him.” Without missing a beat, they filmed the stand-in walking through the field where Costner should have been. When Costner eventually reemerged ready to work, Eastwood simply shrugged: “Never mind. We’re moving on.”

Naturally, Costner—used to getting his way—was furious, confronting Eastwood over the decision. But the veteran filmmaker remained utterly unfazed. As Eastwood reportedly told him, “I get paid to burn film.” In other words: on Eastwood’s set, time is money, and no actor, no matter how big, was going to waste it.

Jack Green, Eastwood’s longtime cinematographer who worked on 14 of his films, recalled in Esquire that this was the only time he ever saw anyone challenge Eastwood on set. Green emphasized that Eastwood never raised his voice, never lost his cool—he simply kept the production machine rolling forward, as he always did.

The incident encapsulates everything about Eastwood’s approach to filmmaking: pragmatic, no-nonsense, and allergic to on-set theatrics. Costner may have been a two-time Academy Award winner and one of the most bankable stars in the world at the time, but even he quickly learned that on a Clint Eastwood set, you either keep up—or you get left behind.

In an industry filled with egos and temperamental stars, Eastwood’s old-school professionalism remains legendary. And A Perfect World stands as the rare project where that steely resolve was put to the test—and, unsurprisingly, Clint Eastwood didn’t blink.