When Tombstone came out in 1993, it wowed audiences. The cast includes such greats as Kurt Russell, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton. Best of all, it’s a wonderful retelling of the legend of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. However, it is Val Kilmer who is the real star of the film.
His portrait of Doc Holliday is nothing short of iconic. Even now, nearly thirty years later, fans are still raving about Kilmer’s stellar performance.Before fans got to know Kilmer’s turn as Holliday, however, Sam Elliott took notice. He worked alongside Val Kilmer on the film and was impressed with what he saw.
In particular, Sam Elliott showed up on his days off just to watch Val Kilmer at work. For anyone else, that would be impressive. However, Elliott prefers to stay at home with his family and stay away from Hollywood as much as possible.
So his appearance speaks volumes about how much admiration he has for his co-star’s performance.On one occasion Sam Elliott sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his involvement in the 1883 Yellowstone prequel series and the rest of his long career. Of course, Tombstone appeared in the conversation.
Sam Elliott watching Val Kilmer at work
The interviewer asked Sam Elliot if he had seen the Val Kilmer documentary and added that the film contains great footage from Tombstone.
“I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard nothing but raves about it,” Sam Elliot said. He added that Tombstone fans were especially vocal about their love of the documentary.
He also added that he is a huge fan of Val Kilmer. “I would go to the Tombstone set and watch Val work even if I wasn’t called that day. What he did with Doc Holliday is, to me, the best things in the movie. “It’s hard to find anyone who disagrees.
Sam Elliot’s respect for Val Kilmer goes beyond his work on Tombstone. In fact, it goes beyond his impressive acting ability. “[Val Kilmer] is a good man and he is a great actor,” Elliot told The Hollywood Reporter.
Tombstone’s Production Problems
Today, we can look back at Tombstone and see a modern classic. However, the film has more than its fair share of problems while shooting. Sam Elliot also shared about that in the interview.
“I believe Kevin Jarre wrote that screenplay, that’s what brought all the actors to it. But Kevin is an inexperienced director. They stuck with him for a month and then replaced him with George Cosmatos.”
However, it’s not just the change or the director that gives them the edge. Wyatt Earp, led by Kevin Costner, was also produced at the same time. As a result, Kurt Russell worried about Tombstone’s fate. “But Kurt kept it together,” Elliott recalls. “And we had all the elements, and then George joined in. It went well.”