Kevin Costner is not only known as an actor from series like Yellowstone or western classics like Dances with Wolves, but he also directed numerous of his films himself. Just this year he was in front of and behind the camera for his epic Horizon.
However, in one film he missed out on both the directing position and the leading role. Because he lost to Steven Spielberg and Liam Neeson in the war drama Schindler’s List.
Kevin Costner wanted to make Schindler’s List – and play the lead role in it
As Kevin Costner revealed on the Howard Stern Show a few months ago, he wanted to both direct and star in the Holocaust drama Schindler’s List, which is based on true events. Ultimately the directing position went to Steven Spielberg – a development that Costner now looks forward to in a conciliatory manner: “I thought that he made so many good decisions, to shoot the film in black and white.”
However, the situation is different when it comes to the distribution of the leading role, which Costner fought for after losing the directorial role at a personal audition with Steven Spielberg:
I went from directing contender to starring contender and said, ‘I’ll do a camera test for you, Steven.’ I probably have it in a pretty uncomfortable position brought, and he said, ‘Okay.’
Schindler’s List – Trailer (German)
Kevin Costner auditioned for Schindler’s List in Steven Spielberg’s kitchen
Costner flew to New York specifically to slip into the role of Oskar Schindler for Spielberg – in Spielberg’s kitchen:
I put on a bald wig, I looked like the guy and for [Steven Spielberg] auditioned in his kitchen and in the end I wasn’t right for him.
The role ultimately went to Liam Neeson, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his performance.
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It’s hard to imagine today how the film would have turned out with Kevin Costner as director and lead actor. If you want to compare this thought experiment with the end result, You can currently stream Schindler’s List with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video and Magenta TV.