Why was Kevin Costner’s character cut from The Big Chill?

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It is not publicly known why Kevin Costner’s character, Alex, was cut from The Big Chill. The character was supposed to appear in flashbacks. However, Alex appeared only as a corpse with a few seconds of screen time. Despite Costner’s character being cut, the film’s director, Lawrence Kasdan, chose later to feature Costner in Silverado.