The one movie Kurt Russell refused to star in
Kurt Russell turned down a role in an action movie directed by Fred Dekker, instead choosing a more successful film that earned several Oscar nominations.
(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Film » Cutting Room Floor
Mon 3 March 2025 19:15, UK
Not all child stars find the transition into adult roles easy, with some failing to hone a particularly notable career beyond their early days of stardom, but this certainly wasnât the case for Kurt Russell. When the actor was just a child, he starred in various movies and television shows, first making an appearance on screen in the 1963 Elvis Presley film It Happened at the Worldâs Fair. From there, success was right around the corner, and just three years later, he signed a contract with Disney.
Roles in movies like The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The Barefoot Executive, and Now You See Him, Now You Donât followed, making Russell one of the most successful child stars of his generation. As the mid-1970s rolled around and Russell began to outgrow his time at Disney, he starred in a series of TV films, including John Carpenterâs Elvis, which brought him further acclaim.
Playing the King of Rock and Roll, whom heâd appeared alongside in his first-ever movie, surely felt like a full-circle moment â but thatâs not all. Carpenter would go on to direct him again, with Russell appearing in Escape from New York in 1981, which helped to establish him as an action star. Russell continued to land roles in movies drastically different from his Disney days, with more recent credits including The Hateful Eight, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
However, Russell hasnât accepted every role that has come his way, including a part in a movie inspired by one of the most iconic action thrillers of the â70s. Fred Dekker found himself inspired by none other than Dirty Harry when writing Ricochet, which was released in 1991 to mixed reviews. Yet, the director failed to get Russell to star in the movie, something he appears to still regret.
Talking to Flashback Files, the filmmaker revealed, âUnbeknownst to me, I was ripping off a movie I hadnât seen, which was Cape Fear. I said: What if Harry arrested a guy years ago, and the guy gets out of jail and starts making his life hell? Itâs fairly generic up to this point. My producer, Joel Silver, claims to have sent it to Clint, but that doesnât make any sense. Joel had his own production company. He could just make it himself, which he did. He said that Clint thought it was âtoo grimâ for him.â
This led him towards Russell, whoâd spent the past decade asserting himself as an action heavyweight. âThere were about five seconds when I was going to direct it. I met with Kurt Russell about playing the cop. Thatâs when I should have had my Tom Noonan moment. Before I went into that office, I should have said: âI have to convince Kurt Russell to do this movie!â But I failed to win him over. That should be my tombstone: âHusband. Father. Failed to win Kurt overâ.â
That year, Russell appeared in Backdraft, directed by Ron Howard, instead. The movie fared better than Ricochet, earning three Academy Award nominations. Dekker doesnât know why Russell turned down the movie, but thatâs just the way of the industry.
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Action MoviesFilmHollywoodKurt Russell
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