It’s All About the Cast
Biehn acknowledged the contribution “Tombstone” made in reviving the Western film genre, but he also shared that the film wasn’t exactly a history textbook. According to him, the movie was good because it had a good script, characters, and actors.
The cast can pride itself on people like Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Thomas Haden Church, Jason Priestley, Billy Zane, Billy Bob Thornton, and Frank Stallone. It is a cinematic powerhouse.
A Rush of Adrenaline
According to star Michael Biehn, the character of Johnny Ringo liked to live on the edge and to be in the center of situations that would create “that adrenaline rush.”
He said that the simple life of the Old West would have created an oppressively boring atmosphere for a man like Johnny. Just thinking about him in a saloon full of warm beers with no air conditioner would be enough to make you see his (miserable) side of things.
Connecting with the Character
Michael Biehn said that stepping into the character of Johnny Ringo was one of his favorite roles. He was able to easily connect with the character and bring the storyline to life.
In fact, he gave the character a high ranking, comparing him to another iconic role he played, Kyle Reese. About the role he said, “...Johnny Ringo’s probably, along with Kyle Reese, my two favorite characters.” Michael Biehn also had previously gained acclaim for his performance as Kyle Reese, a pivotal character in the first two "Terminator" films.
A Fun Time
Although Biehn recognized the imperfections of Tombstone, he certainly enjoyed being a part of the project. “We had a lot of problems with our movie with Kevin [Jarre] getting fired,”.
Biehn confessed though that he liked the script and the kind of performance it brought out of people. According to him, the atmosphere on the set was a lot of fun with lots of laughs.
A Collection of Mustaches
All the male characters in "Tombstone" sported a mustache. Some even grew their own mustaches for the film. Michael Biehn said that Kevin Jarre wanted mustaches that curled up at the end. So, actors who grew a mustache long enough had to wax the end to achieve the right look.
Biehn also said that one of the actors, Jon Tenney, had no time to grow his own mustache so he wore a fake one. He believes that the fake mustache made Tenney feel like the underdog of the group. Maybe the Old West wasn't so different from high school.