Kevin Costner Reveals: ‘I Was on Morphine’ During His Most Emotional NASA Role
Kevin Costner Reveals He Filmed Hidden Figures on Morphine While Battling Kidney Stones: “I Wanted to Cry”
Kevin Costner didn’t just act in Hidden Figures—he powered through one of the most physically painful experiences of his career to do it.
While portraying NASA’s Space Task Group leader Al Harrison in the acclaimed 2016 drama, Costner was secretly fighting through an intense kidney stone episode. The pain was so severe that he required morphine and worked for days while attached to an IV drip.
“I’ve never worked drunk on a set. I’ve never worked high on a set,” Costner shared in a recent interview. “But I was on morphine the last two weeks that I worked on Hidden Figures.”
The actor revealed that the pain nearly brought him to tears—not from the film’s emotional weight, but from the sheer physical toll it took. “I worked 10 days under an IV drip. I don’t even know how,” he admitted. “About three days of it I was normal and then something happened to me… I wanted to cry, but there was everybody watching, so I didn’t.”
Despite the agony, Costner remained committed to delivering a strong performance. He wore long sleeves on set to hide the bruises from the IVs, pushing through grueling days alongside a powerhouse cast that included Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe.
Hidden Figures, which tells the story of three Black female mathematicians whose work was critical to NASA’s early space missions, went on to earn widespread critical acclaim and multiple Oscar nominations. For Costner, the role was more than another addition to his filmography—it became the most physically demanding of his career.
Kevin Costner’s Next Chapter: Headhunters, a Surf Thriller with Ancient Dangers
After the sweeping Western epic Horizon, Kevin Costner is diving into a different kind of adventure. He’ll star in, co-write, and produce Headhunters, a tropical thriller set in Bali, alongside producer Scott Steindorff (The Lincoln Lawyer, Chef).
Headhunters follows a washed-up expat with a mysterious past who guides surfers to a remote island—only to find it guarded by an ancient, deadly tribe. The project promises a pulse-pounding mix of action, mystery, and Costner’s signature storytelling grit.
Joining him in the cast is Daniel Zovatto (Station Eleven), adding to the intrigue of what’s shaping up to be Costner’s boldest genre shift in years.
