Tombstone and Stargate proved so unpleasant for Kurt Russell that he seriously considered stepping away from acting – until an acclaimed actor changed his mind. Even among the great Kurt Russell Westerns in existence, Tombstone stands proud. This all-star 1993 Western has one of the best casts ever ᴀssembled, fantastic dialogue and rousing action.

It had a messy production though, with the original director Kevin Jarre (who also penned the screenplay) being fired a month into production for working too slow. It is said that Russell ghostdirected much of Tombstone himself, and in his role as producer, was instrumental in keeping it on track.

It was worth it, as Tombstone is now recognized as one of the best Westerns ever made. Russell has stated many times what an intense production it was, and it likely didn’t help that after it wrapped he went right into filming Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi blockbuster Stargate.

Kurt Russell Seriously Considered Retirement Following Tombstone And Stargate

Russell made his screen debut kicking Elvis in 1963’s It Happened at the World’s Fair, and had been in the business for decades when he fronted Tombstone. While he made his living as an actor, it wasn’t his first pᴀssion. Russell wanted to become a baseball player until a shoulder injury ruled that out.

Between the drama of keeping Tombstone on the rails as both producer and ghost director and moving into another big project like Stargate, Russell began to reconsider his future on the big screen. In a 2023 chat with Rolling Stone, Russell admitted he was feeling “done” with the business around this time.

There are times when you think, “I’m done,” but then something comes along. I’ll never forget it, because it was an odd thing. I’d just finished doing Tombstone, which was a rough ride. Really tough. And I had a job immediately after that. So, three weeks later, we were down in ʙuттercup Valley doing Stargate. It was very different, and we had no idea it was going to be successful. After that I was like, man, maybe I’m done.

In addition to filming Stargate, Russell still had to deal with Tombstone’s post-production, too. Of course, both movies turned out to be hits in 1993 and 1994 respectively, so unpleasant as they may have been, that must have helped convince Russell to keep going.

It’s not like Russell elected to do smaller or easier projects in the aftermath, either, with his follow-ups including the “Die Hard on a Plane” thriller Executive Decision and belated sequel Escape from L.A. Still, after living his entire adult life as an actor, it’s not a huge surprise Russell took a moment of self-reflection.

The Stress Of Tombstone Took A Toll On Kurt Russell

Tombstone had to face off against Kevin Costner’s Wyatt Earp too, a far more expensive rival production. Costner was originally attached to Tombstone before deciding to develop a movie that focused on Earp’s entire life. In the aftermath of his exit, Costner made sure to hurt Tombstone’s development as much as possible.

This included warning studios against distributing it, lest Costner refuse to work with them. Since Costner was such a huge name at that time, every studio but Disney complied. That was Russell’s first hurdle to getting Tombstone produced, with the star also helping set up financing for it.

Once Jarre was dropped, it was up to Russell to hire his replacement George P. Cosmatos, in addition to tearing pages from the script to keep it on time and budget. Russell also had to reduce Wyatt Earp to an “aura” role, where instead of being a fleshed-out character, he’s more of a mystic figure.

Of course, Russell had originally signed on for Tombstone because it offered such a meaty dramatic role. Russell thus sacrificed his part to boost the roles of his co-stars, while basically co-directing it from behind the scenes alongside Cosmatos. Russell later told True West Magazine that the production took a real toll.

And it was the hardest work of my life. Tombstone was so painful. Tombstone was so tough, you know what I mean? It was just so painful; it was hard physically to do—I got four hours sleep every night.

Russell also revealed he wasn’t as involved in Tombstone’s editing as he would have liked, and laments the film wasn’t quite the “Godfather of Westerns” as it was first envisioned. Still, Russell’s Western easily beat Costner’s Wyatt Earp and has more than stood the test of time.

Laurence Fishburne Convinced Kurt Russell Not To Quit

Despite the fact that Russell and Laurence Fishburne have yet to collaborate, the former revealed to Rolling Stone it was The Matrix star who convinced him not to quit. Russell recalled meeting with Fishburne sometime after Stargate wrapped, and telling him he felt done as an actor.

And I ran into Larry Fishburne, who I didn’t know but is someone I’ve always appreciated. I was like, “I think I’m out, man.” And he was like, “Oh, you can’t do that. You’ve got a lot more to do, and a lot more to give. You can’t talk like that.” He spoke with this sense of honesty, and it was just from one actor to another, and it was a strange thing. He probably doesn’t know how influential he was in me continuing on. I always appreciated it and remember it from time to time.

It should be noted that while Russell is still acting to this day, he has taken some extended breaks. The first was after the failure of his Blade Runner “sidequel” Soldier, where he didn’t act in another film for three years, which was 2001’s 3000 Miles to Graceland.

After starring in Quentin Tarantino’s exploitation homage Death Proof in 2007, Russell took more time off to focus on his GoGi wine. He seems more selective in his choices in the last decade, too, which has yielded some greats like horror Western Bone Tomahawk and a cameo in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.

The Pain Of Tombstone Was Worth It For Russell

While speaking with True West about how miserable Tombstone was to work on, Russell also added, “And I’m so happy that we got it made.” For the last 30 years, Russell has been able to see how much people adore the movie and quote from it constantly. He also believes the incredible dialogue is a key reason it has lingered.

It may have been so overwhelming that it nearly pushed him to leave the industry, but Russell has nothing but love for the end product of Tombstone. That doesn’t mean it’s an experience he’d want to relive, but he knows the pain was worth it.

Source: Rolling Stone, True West Magazine