Twenty-five years ago today, the movie Field of Dreams opened in theaters across the country. When we later heard the movie line “There’s no crying in baseball,” we knew that there was, because Field of Dreams made so many fathers and sons tear up at least a little inside. For the anniversary, FilmDrunk gives us 12 Things You Probably Don’t Know About ‘Field Of Dreams’ On Its 25th Anniversary. For example, do you think there would be no crying in baseball if Tom Hanks played the lead?
1. Kevin Costner wasn’t the studio’s initial choice for Ray Kinsella. Tom Hanks was offered the role, but decided to pass. Producers didn’t initially approach Kevin Costner about the film because they thought he wouldn’t be interested in another baseball movie, having just finished Bull Durham.
6. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were extras in the movie. When Ben Affleck started working on The Sum of All Fears he said to director Phil Alden Robinson, “nice working with you again.” When Robinson asked Affleck what he meant by the compliment, Affleck explained that he and Matt Damon were among the thousands of extras in Field of Dreams’ Fenway Park scene.
You’ll find out even more about the movie in an article from W.P. Kinsella, the author who wrote the original novel Shoeless Joe. He tells about the tale went from a short story to a novel to a movie, how it affected him, and why J.D. Salinger wasn’t in the movie.
As a bonus, here’s what’s happening these days at the Field of Dreams. -via Metafilter