The Big Picture
Costner missed having a breakout moment in
The Big Chill
but landed a role in
Silverado
, kickstarting his Western career.
Costner would’ve played a pivotal role in
The Big Chill
, but his scenes were cut.
The Big Chill
succeeded without Costner, as his character’s absence allowed the film to delve deeper into its themes.
As a filmmaker, actor, and advocate for the medium at large, Kevin Costner is among the most powerful men in Hollywood today. He spent the better part of a decade on prestige television with acclaimed roles in Hatfields & McCoys and Yellowstone, earning a loyal following from a “dad core” audience. However, Costner’s next big adventure is Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, the first part of his Western epic he directed and stars in alongside Sienna Miller, Avatar’s Sam Worthington, Michael Rooker, and Danny Huston. It’s impressive that he’s remained a fixture of the entertainment industry for over four decades, but early on in his career, Costner was cut out of a key role in the Academy Award-nominated drama The Big Chill.
The Big Chill was written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan, the acclaimed screenwriter who had penned such classics as The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Earning an impressive box office haul and rave reviews, The Big Chill was among the most successful films of 1983; a supporting role could have certainly boosted Costner’s status, as he was a relative unknown at the time. Although he missed out on the opportunity to appear in a modern classic, Costner’s removal from The Big Chill did lead to his casting in the Western Silverado.
The Big Chill
A drama that follows the reunion of seven college friends who come together after the suicide of their friend Alex. Spending the weekend at a South Carolina estate, the group reflects on their shared past and the divergent paths their lives have taken. As they reconnect, old tensions resurface and new revelations come to light. The film explores the themes of aging, nostalgia, and the inevitability of change, all set to a memorable soundtrack that underscores the emotional journey of its characters.
Release Date September 30, 1983
Director Lawrence Kasdan
Runtime 105 Minutes
Main Genre Drama
Writers Lawrence Kasdan , Barbara Benedek
Who Would Kevin Costner Have Played in ‘The Big Chill?’
The Big Chill follows a group of University of Michigan alumni that reunite for the first time since their graduation. In the years since, Sam Weber (Tom Berenger) has become a television actor, Meg Jones (Mary Kay Place) has become a real estate attorney, Michael Gold (Jeff Goldblum) has joined the staff of a magazine, Nick Carlton (William Hurt) has been struggling with addiction, Karen Bowens (JoBeth Williams) has married the advertising executive Richard (Don Galloway), and the couple Sarah (Kevin Kline) and Harold Cooper (Glenn Close) live happily together. Costner would have appeared as the group’s former friend Alex Marshall, who dies by suicide. In gathering for Alex’s funeral at the Tidalholm plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina, his friends are forced to reflect upon the dreams that they had when they were younger.
Kasdan originally intended for Costner to appear in flashback scenes at the end of the film, which would show a younger version of all the characters during a Thanksgiving dinner. While details about the scene are scarce, Goldblum remembered that Costner’s character was “about to cut this perfect turkey, and we were all there kind of having a good time.” However, the scene was foreboding, as Alex ultimately takes his own life by slashing his wrists; Goldlbum suggested that seeing him hold another sharp object “was poetical, and metaphorical.” Nonetheless, Costner’s slashed wrists are seen in the opening sequence at the funeral, providing the only evidence that he was in the film.
Although he was impressed with the work that Costner had done, Kasdan felt that the flashback scenes didn’t work in The Big Chill. Early parts of the film had featured extensive discussion from the other characters regarding their memories of Alex, and Kasdan felt that introducing a new actor would catch the audience off guard. He nonetheless “felt so bad about it,” and subsequently gave Costner a role in his Western film Silverado.
‘The Big Chill’ Is Better Without Kevin Costner’s Scenes
Image via Columbia Pictures
A role in The Big Chill certainly would have been beneficial to Costner’s career, as he had only a handful of screen credits at the time. However, Costner’s appearance in The Big Chill would have contradicted the film’s thematic intentions. The Big Chill was intended to be an inverse of a coming-of-age story; while the characters are all reminiscing about their past, it’s never clear if their youthful experiences together were quite as idealized as they’re made out to be. The characters also suggest that they weren’t necessarily aware of Alex’s mental health issues, so including a scene of Costner’s character where he shows signs of distress would have made the other characters feel more ignorant.
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It certainly would have been interesting to see what Costner would have added to the film, as playing a young, troubled man would have been in stark contrast with the strong, authoritative figures that he is most closely associated with. However, The Big Chill was a major success and earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Close, and Best Original Screenplay for Kasdan and his co-writer Barbara Benedek. It continues to be a favorite among movie buffs nostalgic for the 1980s.
‘Silverado’ Was the First of Many Westerns for Kevin Costner
Missing out on the ability to appear in an Oscar-nominated classic was certainly a disappointment, but Silverado proved to be a much better indication of Costner’s abilities. Set in California during America’s “frontier era,” the film chronicles the adventures of the cowboy Emmett (Scott Glenn), his brother Jake (Costner), their ally Paden (Kline), and their new friend Mal (Danny Glover) as they track down a pair of thieves. While the Western genre had been declining at this point, Kasdan’s film served as a throwback to the classical era of gunslinger movies.
Kasdan usually has a knack for assembling impressive casts, but Costner gave a scene-stealing performance in Silverado. Jake’s youthful, infectious energy marks a sharp contrast with the more level-headed caution of both Emmett and Paden. Kline and Glenn were already established as veteran stars, but Costner proved himself worthy of sharing the screen with them. It was arguably the film that kicked off his long-standing association with the western genre. After stepping into the director’s chair, Costner helmed such epic westerns as Dances With Wolves, The Postman, and Open Range.
The Big Chill is available to watch on Prime Video in the U.S.
Watch on Prime Video