Few Westerns have maintained the true lasting power of Tombstone. A beautiful tale with some of the most powerful performances you’ll see in any Western not starring John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, there’s a lot to love about the Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell) epic. But there’s one interesting tidbit you might not know about Tombstone regarding the cast: they were forced to grow their own mustaches. Well, all but one of them.
According to Michael Biehn, One ‘Tombstone’ Actor Didn’t Grow His Own Mustache
In a 2010 interview with MovieWeb, Tombstone star Michael Biehn, who played Johnny Ringo in the picture, revealed that it was the original director and screenwriter, Kevin Jarre, who enacted the mustache mandate. “He was very specific about how he wanted the moustaches,” Biehn explained. “He wanted them to curl up on the end.” This required that the actors wax their mustache tips frequently, which the cast clearly took great pride in. You can tell just by watching Tombstone that Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, and the bunch are sporting the genuine article, and they look just magnificent. There’s nothing as iconic as watch ing the three Earp brothers and Doc Holliday prowl the Arizona streets in all black with those mustaches front-and-center.
But not everyone was able to grow a mustache for the production. Well, he may have been physically able, but he didn’t have the time. “There was one guy, Jon Tenney. He didn’t get to grow his own moustache because he had a job right before that,” Biehn revealed. Given the timeline, Tenney was likely busy with either the comedy feature Watch It or an episode of Tales of the Crypt or Crime & Punishment. But in Tombstone, the future The Closer star played the small part of Sheriff Johnny Behan, a foil of sorts to the Earp clan who would rather play nice with the Cowboys gang than risk more bloodshed on the streets. While he’s not in the picture for very long, and his mustache isn’t noticeably a fake, Biehn believed the actor was a bit disappointed at not being given a chance to grow his own. “I think he always felt a little bit like the small dog of the group,” he explained. “Because it wasn’t his real moustache. He had to take his moustache off every day.”
Kurt Russell Helped Get ‘Tombstone’ to the Finish Line
Despite the appearance of at least a single fake mustache, Tombstone is still a cinematic triumph well worth revisiting. Not only was the picture a serious hit with both critics and audiences alike, but it’s become a cult classic ever since. It’s no wonder that folks still talk about Tombstone as if it came out yesterday, highlighting its best performances and other behind-the-scenes material that gives us a unique perspective on the motion picture. We can’t help but be drawn to the violent rage of Biehn’s Johnny Ringo or Kilmer’s complex Doc Holliday, who steals the show every time he shows up on screen.
More than that, Kurt Russell’s own involvement in the production helped make Tombstone the Western powerhouse it is today. Without him, it’s likely that the film would’ve died after its original director was released from his contract. Ever since, countless members of the cast and crew have praised Russell’s devotion to bringing the feature to life, even if it managed to make his own life more difficult. “Kurt Russell and [producer] Jim Jacks really saved the movie,” Biehn asserted. “Without Kurt’s leadership, that movie would have folded at that point.” Between managing different egos, cutting out unnecessary scenes, and pushing the production forward, Tombstone is what it is because of the collaborative filmmaking experience Kurt Russell helped foster. No doubt, the mustache morale helped its fair share as well.