"Our Movie Was Dead in the Water": Costner Talks 'For Love of the Game' with GQ
When discussing Kevin Costner's sports movies, many instantly think of classics like Field of Dreams or Bull Durham. However, For Love of the Game, where Costner plays Billy Chapel, a 40-year-old pitcher for the Detroit Tigers who throws an unlikely perfect game, often doesn't get as much love. Interestingly, the movie almost didn’t happen at Yankee Stadium, a crucial filming location. In a recent interview with GQ, Costner recounted the near-miss, explaining that filming at Yankee Stadium was nearly derailed by none other than the legendary George Steinbrenner, then-owner of the New York Yankees.
“The movie wasn’t going to happen in Yankee Stadium, and we already had a crew out there,” Costner said. “And no one knew what to do about it, but George (Steinbrenner) wasn’t gonna let it happen. It wasn’t fair.” With no lawyer or studio executive to back him, Costner was urged to confront Steinbrenner directly. “I was like, ‘Where’re all the tough guys? Everybody, what are you talking about? I have to talk to George?’” he recalled. Despite the daunting task, Costner took the initiative, knowing that much was at stake.
He detailed the conversation that ensued: “I call up George. He’s a legendary guy, a difficult guy. And I wasn’t certain how I was gonna go about doing that, but so much was riding on it. And so I called him up, and I said, ‘Hello, George,’ and he goes, ‘Hello, Kev.’ And I said, ‘Hi, George.’ He goes, ‘What, do you need Kev?’ And I said, ‘Well, George, it sounds like we can’t come to Yankee Stadium,’ and he said, ‘That’s right.’” Costner continued, “I told Steinbrenner we had a contract, and while he acknowledged that, he also said he couldn’t let it happen. All I wanted was an explanation. Steinbrenner was unhappy that the Yankees were going to lose in the movie, and he couldn’t let that happen.”
“I said, ‘George, it’s a perfect game. I pitch a perfect game. You don’t even get a hit. Yes, you lose,’” Costner recalls telling Steinbrenner. “He replied, ‘Yeah, the Yankees can’t lose.’ And I thought, ‘Well, we’ve just lost the stadium because I’m not gonna change the plot.’ So, I listened to him, and there’s a little bit of silence, and I finally said, and I use different words than I’m gonna use with you. I said, ‘George, what are you talking about?’ You can guess what I filled in.”
In a masterstroke of negotiation, Costner bent the truth to sway Steinbrenner. “I told him that, actually, the Yankees don’t lose in the movie — they win. Now, I’m really lying right here right now ’cause they do lose,” Costner confessed. “I kick their a** with the perfect game.” Costner added that in his version of events, the Yankees win the pennant in the movie’s universe. The reality is, Chapel’s Tigers had been long eliminated from playoff contention and were merely playing for pride against the Yankees, who were actually in a position to clinch the American League East with a win.
Costner admits to being a “world-class liar” in that moment, buttering Steinbrenner up with visions of the Yankees winning the World Series. Ironically, the 1999 Yankees did go on to win the World Series, sweeping the Atlanta Braves for their consecutive title, third in four years, and 25th overall. “Turns out they did; they won that year,” Costner noted with a hint of satisfaction.
Reflecting on his parents' unwavering support throughout his career, Costner shared anecdotes of their involvement. His parents attended every Little League game and even followed him to the remote filming location of Dances with Wolves. There, they parked their Winnebago on a mountaintop, where his mother would cheerfully wave at him every morning from her lawn chair. “My whole life was Little League for my parents,” he explained. “And so, For Love of the Game, they were in the stands and watched me shoot that movie.” Costner did three baseball movies. He thought he was done after shooting cult classics like Field of Dreams and Bull Durham. Then, he read For Love of the Game, and when Costner senses something and feels like he can connect with an audience, he doesn’t want to let it pass him by. And he didn’t let a little quibble with Steinbrenner pass the movie by either.
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Source: Awful Announcing
Photo Credit: Screengrab From GQ
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