"Drugstore Cowboy"'s exploration of the lives of those living on society's outer fringes, as well as its Portland setting, were mirrored in Van Sant's next effort, the similarly acclaimed "My Own Private Idaho" (1991). Only with the success of "Cowboy" was Van Sant now given license to make "Idaho" (a film he had originally pitched that was knocked back several times because the studios deemed the script 'too risky'. New Line Cinema now gave Van Sant the green light, and he went on a mission to get the "Idaho" script into the hands of River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves his preferred choice for the two young leads. After months of struggle with agents and managers over the content of the script, Van Sant finally secured Phoenix and Reeves, who played the roles of Mike Waters and Scott Favor, respectively.