Kevin Costner's Baseball Brawl
In his new film, Kevin Costner is back in the ballpark as a pitcher in the twilight of his career.
It's called For Love Of The Game, but there's no love lost between Costner and Universal Pictures, the studio that made his movie, reports CBS News This Morning Co-Anchor Mark McEwen.
Costner put on a good face and joined co-star Kelly Preston and director Sam Raimi to promote For Love of the Game.
Prior to this, Costner had complained in an interview with Newsweek that Universal Studios sacrificed the content of the film to get a PG-13 rating. "I just feel like they hurt the movie," he says.
"And when things are cut because the ratings board says, 'That's not allowable; that's not allowable,' it doesn't go down easy with him," Raimi says. "You know, he's a competitor; he's a fighter, and part of that is what makes him a movie star."
"I say what I believe; I say what I feel. I do that for the people who pay for the tickets, too," Costner says.
The film is tailor-made for Costner, showcasing his athleticism and rugged romantic appeal.
"Men will go to their graves thinking they understand women. We just don't. Occasionally, we stumble onto the right line, and that's why girls still fall for us," he says.
Costner hit a home run with his last two baseball films, Bull Durham and the magical Field of Dreams.
But he says it's the script and not the love of the game that brought him back to the ballpark.
"I would never have made one baseball film if I didn't think it was a good girl/boy story. Not one, but all three happened to be, and really distinguished themselves," Costner notes.
Truth be told, Costner has played all his life and actually throws an 80-mile-per-hour fastball.
"I threw one night at that speed, but there was nobody standing up at the plate, so I had no fear of hurting anybody, which is why I did it," he adds.
If you're wondering exactly what was cut out of the film, the producers say it was adult dialogue deemed inappropriate for teens and a nude scene where Costner takes a shower.
For more information about the film, visit the official Web site for For Love of the Game.
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