The one role Kurt Russell refused to reprise
Kurt Russell had the opportunity to reprise one of his most lucrative roles, but from the sound of things, he couldn't really be bothered.
(Credit: Kurt Russell)
Film » Cutting Room Floor
Mon 10 February 2025 14:45, UK
Sequels have been the lifeblood of the industry for decades, and thatâs as true for actors as it is for studios. The latter can continue making money from a proven and popular franchise, and the former has a lucrative role they can return to multiple times. Kurt Russell isnât averse to playing the same character more than once, but it turns out there is a line he wasnât willing to cross.
Relative to how long heâs been working in Hollywood, Russell hasnât done a lot of sequels. Since making his feature debut by kicking Elvis Presley in the shins in 1963âs It Happened at the Worldâs Fair, there are only four parts the actor has ever reprised, and half of those came after he turned 60.
Walt Disneyâs protege and sounding board headlined the Mouse Houseâs Dexter Riley trilogy between 1969 and 1975 when he anchored family-friendly favourites The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Now You See Him, Now You Donât, The Strongest Man in the World, which would be his only flirtation with franchise fare for the next 20 years.
John Carpenterâs Escape from LA saw him reprise the iconic Snake Plissken, which would again lead to a two-decade sequel sabbatical. However, since 2015, Russell has appeared in three Fast & Furious flicks as the mysterious Mr Nobody and played Santa Claus twice in Netflixâs The Christmas Chronicles series, and he also broke bad as the villainous Ego in James Gunnâs Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
Itâs not a huge amount of sequels for a career thatâs spanned more than six decades, but Russell had the chance to take his talents to the small screen in the mid-1990s when plans were made to spin Roland Emmerichâs Stargate off into a TV show. It was â and still is â his highest-grossing picture as a leading man and top-billed star, which still wasnât enough to twist his harm.
âI did three television series; theyâre hard work,â he told Dark Horizons. âThey are very frustrating in many different ways. Theyâre a great place to go work and make money as an actor. I say that not frivolously. Itâs not easy to make a living as an actor. People hear me say that, and they look at that; they put it into a zone of, âHe just works for moneyâ. Yeah, I do. What do you do? Do you do this for free? Would you do this for free? Five years of listening to this shit for free?â
Essentially, Russell was offered the chance to bring his version of Jack OâNeill to the project that would eventually be branded as Stargate SG-1, but he had no interest tying himself down to a television contract that would have drastically restricted his opportunities to work â and earn money â elsewhere.
Without him, it still became a sprawling universe that ran for ten seasons, spawned another two spinoffs, and countless other tie-ins, including a web series, comic books, and video games, with Russellâs disinterest working out very well for Richard Dean Anderson, who inherited the mantle of OâNeill.
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Kurt Russell