"Our Movie Was Dead In The Water": How Kevin Costner Convinced Yankees Owner To Film At Stadium For 1999 Sports Movie

Summary Kevin Costner had to convince Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to use Yankee Stadium for his baseball movie For Love of the Game.

Filming at Yankee Stadium was crucial, so Costner lied to Steinbrenner and said the Yankees actually won the World Series in the movie, it just wasn't shown.

Despite mixed reviews, the effort to make the film feel real thanks to using Yankee Stadium makes the film stand out.

Kevin Costner has opened up about how he convinced George Steinbrenner, former owner of the New York Yankees, to film at Yankee Stadium for his 1999 movie For Love of the Game. While Costner is known for his Western roles, such as in his upcoming Horizon: An American Saga, he's also starred in baseball movies like this one. Directed by Sam Raimi, the film follows forty-year-old Billy Chapel (Costner) as he pitches a perfect game for the San Francisco Giants against the Yankees.

Speaking with GQ, however, Costner revealed that, in order to secure Yankee Stadium as a filming location in For Love of the Game, he had to convince Steinbrenner they could film there.

Starting at 21:29, the actor explained how the main point of contention was that the Yankees lose in the movie, with Costner lying and saying they would go on to win the World Series, which wouldn't be shown in the movie. Coincidentally, that same year, they won the World Series in real life. Check out what Costner had to say about his conversation with Steinbrenner below:

The movie wasn't gonna happen in Yankee Stadium, and we already had a crew out there, and no one knew what to do about it, but George [Steinbrenner] wasn't gonna let it happen. It wasn't fair, and it came down to I didn't have no lawyer, no studio executive. Our movie was dead in the water. And somebody said, "Kevin, you need to talk to him." And I was like, "Where're all the tough guys? Everybody, what are you talking about? I have to talk to George." But he had said "No," it wasn't gonna happen. We had a contract. So I call up George. He's a legendary guy, difficult guy, and I wasn't certain how I was gonna go about doing that, but so much was riding on it. And so I called him up and I said, "Hello, George." He goes, "Hello, Kev." And I said, "Hi, George." He goes, "What do you need, Kev?" And I said, "Well, George, it sounds like we can't come to the Yankees stadium." He goes, "That's right." And I'm thinking to myself, "Where's my dad? I need somebody to help me with this. I don't know what to say to this guy." I said, "George, but we had a contract." He goes, "I know that, but I can't let it happen, Kev." And I said, "All right, George, you wanna explain that to me? Why?" He goes, "Well, the Yankees lose." "The Yankees what?" "They lose, can't let that happen, Kev." I said, "George, it's a perfect game. I pitch a perfect game." "You don't even get a hit. Yes, you lose. Yeah, the Yankees can't lose." And I thought, "Well, we've just lost the stadium 'cause I'm not gonna change the plot." So I listened to him. It was a little bit of silence, and I finally said, and I use different words than I'm gonna use with you, I said, "George, what are you talking about?" You can guess what I filled in. And he said, "What?" I said, "What are you talking about?" I said, "The Yankees don't lose. They win." Now I'm really lying right here right now 'cause they do lose. I kick their a** with a perfect game. And he goes, "What do you mean they don't lose?" And I said, I'm tap dancing, thinking, I said, "You guys win the pennant. This is a meaningless game. You guys actually win. You don't need this game. In fact, you even bring up minor leaguers." I'm thinking, "God, I'm just a world-class liar here." And I said, "You win. In fact, you not only win the pennant, George, you go on to win the World Series." He goes, "We do?" I said, "You do in my story. Just, we're not gonna see that part." And he, I don't know what the hell happened, but he said, "Okay, but you know what this organization means to me." I said, "I certainly do. You win the World Series, George. I swear to God, you do." Turns out they did, they won that year.

Why For Love Of The Game Needed Yankee Stadium

While Costner's 1999 baseball film isn't as memorable as the meaningful story of Field of Dreams, the movie still tackles themes of perseverance against the odds through the actor's character. The story's focus on Chapel is important, as the aged pitcher's perfect game proves that skill in something knows no age. Even though the film received mixed reviews from critics, also making it one of the lowest-reviewed movies from director Raimi, it's clear plenty of effort went into its presentation and making it feel real.

Had the movie not been filmed at Yankee Stadium in particular, the film would have suffered, as the writers would have to alter the storyline to keep the New York team from showing up. This would be a major change, though, since the movie is based on a 1991 novel of the same name by Michael Shaara, wherein the Yankees are the team Chapel pitches against. This departure from the novel would have made the film suffer from a lack of faith to the source material, a decision that may have made the game less impactful as a whole.

The fact the movie's star got Steinbrenner to agree to use the Stadium helped bolster the climactic game, even if the film received mixed reviews overall. While it's not one of Costner's most well-remembered sports movies, For Love of the Game is still a unique presentation of both a perfectly-pitched baseball game, as well as a love story that helps ground the film. Its production story also shows how important it was to make the movie feel as real as possible, the effort giving it some well-earned points.

Other Kevin Costner sports movies include Draft Day, McFarland, USA, and Bull Durham.

Source: GQ/YouTube