For all of the drama in “Tombstone”, at its core, it is a story about friendship. It was Val Kilmer who spoke about Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday’s bond. They were seemingly different characters who, on the surface, didn’t have much in common, but they had a level of empathy with each other that was very special.
Wyatt Earp was a lawman who gets the opportunity to earn some money and live a stress-free and wealthy life — the American Dream. However, something stops him, and he is forced to do the right thing. He could have just escaped and lived a life of leisure, which many of us would love to do. Conversely, his best friend is Doc, who we know has killed people and has a crazy side, and yet through it all, the two who appear to be very different characters remain close friends.
The Script Was Brilliant
Every film brings a unique feeling or experience to its cast. For the majority of the stars of "Tombstone", they felt a strong connection to the project mainly because of its script. To be specific, most of them fell in love with it! For Sam Elliott, it was easy to become drawn into Tombstone’s script, because it was complete and dynamic, and was outstanding in every way he could think of. It had its own dialogue, it embodied Kevin Jarre’s brilliance as a scriptwriter, and every character from top to bottom was well depicted. Jarre also managed to bring in actors that you typically wouldn’t envision in a Western movie, like Val Kilmer.
For Sam Elliott, Val Kilmer’s performance in "Tombstone" was the masterpiece of his entire career. Val Kilmer was instantly convinced of the script after he read the line “I’m your huckleberry.” He asked Jarre about the line and where it came from and even though Jarre wasn’t able to give out an exact answer, the actor, nevertheless, loved it and became completely sold on his character because of it.
The Cast Were Not crazy About George Cosmatos
The cast had built up a strong rapport with Kevin Jarre, so when he was fired from the movie and replaced with George Cosmatos it took some time for the actors to adjust. Having been handpicked by Jarre, Sam Elliott said that Cosmatos was a whole other animal. Sam Elliott recalls an exchange with him right at the beginning of the shoot. Elliott would come to set even on the days when he wasn’t filming any scenes. It was more fun than sitting around the hotel all day. He recalled how Cosmastos came up to him, looking at him from behind his dark glasses, and asked, "am I gonna have trouble with you?”
In a cool, calm, and collected manner he recalls he looked him straight back and returned the question asking, “I don’t know, am I gonna have trouble with you?” Cosmatos must have realized that Sam Elliott was a professional who was there to do a job to the best of his ability. The two ended up laughing about it and in the end, were completely fine.
The Real-Life Story
John Henry Holliday was known in history as an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist — hence the nickname “Doc” — but most importantly, a dear friend of Wyatt Earp's. Although "Tombstone" might have depicted Doc Holliday as a good guy at heart, the truth is, Val Kilmer’s character was the exact opposite if you look at the historical accounts.
Doc Holliday was notorious for being the slickest gunslinger in the West. Unfortunately, his vices became even more severe, until at 37 years old, he passed away.
Charlton Heston’s Role
The role of Henry Hooker was played by the legendary actor, Charlton Heston. In the original script, Heston’s part was quite large, and this was to show the closeness between Wyatt Earp and Henry Hooker. Charlton Heston was also one of the most well-known actors at the time, so it made sense to cast him into a role where they could maximize his star quality.
The real-life Henry Hooker was also kind of a celebrity. Well, actually, it was his real estate that was famous. He owned an enormous 250,000-acre estate in Arizona which was home to the Sierra Bonita Ranch. Famous for being one of the oldest cattle ranches in the United States, Sierra Bonita is also a national landmark.