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Kevin Costner was on a roll with his baseball-based movies in the 1980s & ’90s, starting with the 1988 filmBull Durham. The film featured Costner in the role of veteran catcher ‘Crash’ Davis, who is brought in to teach rookie pitcher Nuke, played by Tim Robbins. The film was a critical and commercial success, but it was also a topic of discussion among some online fans for one scene in the film. It is rumored that Costner made a young bat boy cry during the film.
Costner responded to those accusations years later, sharing that he didn’t know if he actually made the boy cry. However, theYellowstonestar clarified that he did only what director Ron Shelton had told him to do in the particular scene.
Kevin Costner Responds To Accusations Of Making A Young Boy Cry In 1988 Film
Kevin Costneropened up about his different film roles over the years in the segment Role Recall for Yahoo Entertainment. One of the films he talked about was the romantic sports comedyBull Durham. It wasone of his first sandlot-based movies, the others beingField of Dreamsin 1989 andFor the Love of the Gamein 1999. Costner was so into the game that he usually played even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
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However, the film had its own share of controversy online, when some fans accused that theMan of Steelactor made a young bat boy in the film. Duringa scene in the film, Costner’s character is feeling the pressure when the bat boy approaches him during the game. The boy says,“Get a hit, Crash,”to which Costner coldly responds,“Shut up.”
The internet rumors had it that theDances with Wolvesactor’s response made the young boy cry on the set. During his Role Recall segment, Costner responded to these accusations, sharing that he had no idea if he made the boy cry or not. He explained that the scene required him to say the line convincingly. He cheekily added that his film was not likeRobert Redford‘sThe Natural, another baseball drama with a more inspirational tone. Costner shared withRole Recall:
“I don’t know that I made him cry. I was convincing with my line… We weren’t making The Natural, where [the bat boy] says ‘Get a hit,’ and [Robert Redford] says, ‘I will, Billy.’ Not here. It’s like, ‘Get a hit.’ ‘Shut up.’ And if he cried, it was because maybe Ron didn’t tell him what I was supposed to say.”
However, Costner did threaten to fire actors who were thrown out during their off-screen baseball game. He revealed that he threw out about 25 out of the 30 players who played, but it is highly unlikely that he fired all 25 of them from the movie.
No Studio Wanted To Produce Kevin Costner’sBull Durham
Director Ron Shelton wrote the script for the filmBull Durhamafter taking inspiration from his baseball career. Costner was one of the first actors to show interest in the project. Costner shared in his interview that they couldn’t get a studio to make the film. The studios were concerned thatpeople wouldn’t be interested in baseball filmsat the time.
He revealed that Shelton took the film to every studio twice with no luck. Eventually, Orion Pictures agreed to produce the film for $9 million. Costner shared:
“When I read that script, I knew it was great. Problem was, we couldn’t get anyone to make that. Ron Shelton, who wrote it, took it around to all the studios twice, and everybody rejected it. And there was a moment where both [he] and I had to say, ‘Well, I guess no one’s gonna make this.’ We ended up making it for like $6 million or something like that (it was $9 million).”
The underdog film surprised everyone when it collected $50.9 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). The film was a critical success and many publications ranked it as one of the greatest sports movies of all time (via Sports Illustrated).
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Bull Durhamis now available for streaming on Prime Video.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
