When speaking about the film, Val Kilmer said that its core was the relationship between the characters of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. He commented on the strength of their friendship saying that their bond and strange kind of empathy is what drew people.
The themes of doing the right thing, the tension between easy money and law enforcement, and Doc Holliday’s intriguing character all make for quite an experience.
The New Director
Because the cast had formed a relationship with Kevin Jarre who had handpicked each of them for their roles, the cast wasn't fond of the new director, George Cosmatos. “He was a whole other animal,” said Sam Elliott.
“We had our moment right at the beginning… I always go to the set and stand around when I’m not working just to watch—I’d rather do that than sit around a hotel—and I remember George coming up to me with his dark glasses, looking up at me from the top of his glasses, sticking his nose right in my face. And he said, ‘Am I gonna have trouble with you?’”
How It All Came Together
Despite the friction between the cast and new director George Cosmatos, the project came together well. During his rocky encounter with Cosmatos, Sam Elliott decided to stand his ground with the new director.
Elliott said after Cosmatos asked if they're going to have trouble working together, that he looked him back in the eye and asked the same question. The director laughed in return and the two ended up working together just fine.
Kurt Russell’s Contribution
Years after the release of the film a rather shocking statement was made by star Kurt Russell about his role in the film. Russell said that he actually had a major hand in assisting Cosmatos and that he more-or-less directed the film after Jarre’s departure.
Reportedly, he had also told Cosmatos that he would not reveal his role as “ghost director” while Cosmatos was alive out of respect for him. This was quite a bold statement, but his fellow co-stars have since supported his claim, including Val Kilmer who went so far as to say that Russell was “solely responsible” for the film.
The Fair Share
Kurt Russell tried to be very conscientious of the potential conflict of interest that his directing could create on set.
To curb the potential conflict with his co-stars, Russell actually cut some of his scenes while he was directing so as to not appear that he was boosting his performance. Well played, Russell!