The classic movie that “embarrassed” Kurt Russell: “We just got murdered”
Even though he doesn’t jump out as someone who embarrasses easily, Kurt Russell was still left red-faced and ashamed by a movie that’s since gone on to become one of his most enduring and rewatchable outings.
It gave him a serious case of mixed emotions, too, with the actor having absolutely no issues whatsoever with his performance or the film itself, and he’s continued singing its praises for decades, but that wasn’t enough to overcome his dismay at how it was received by the general public.
Obviously, if there’s any star in the business who knows a thing or two about making films that don’t find an audience until years later, it’s Kurt Russell. He’s earned his tag as the reigning king of the cult classic, and at this stage in his career, he’d probably be more surprised if he headlined a flick that was a smash hit right out of the gate.
He’s never really been a draw, so it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise, either. Yes, he’s got a billion-dollar hit under his belt, but it’s hard to imagine that much of the $1.5 billion earned by the seventh entry in the Fast & Furious franchise was powered by Russell’s fans coming out to show support.
Box office isn’t the be-all and end-all in deciding who gets to be called a star, fortunately, and Russell has made a living on taking top billing in pictures that have a funny habit of sinking in cinemas before rising back to the top of the cultural consciousness and showing remarkable staying power.
It’s true of The Thing, Used Cars, Overboard, Bone Tomahawk, Death Proof, Tango & Cash, and Tombstone to varying degrees, but there’s a case to be made that the cultiest cult classic that Russell has ever appeared in is John Carpenter’s delightfully riotous fantasy action comedy, Big Trouble in Little China.
As beloved as it may be in the 21st century, the studio didn’t understand it when it was being made, audiences failed to show up and catch it on the big screen, and it tanked as a result, while most critics were perplexed by the dynamic duo reuniting for a bonkers caper that pinballs between multiple genres at will.
Russell has made his peace with the movie’s initial failure, but as Carpenter previously shared, it was a gut-punch at the time. “He’s embarrassed by the failure of that movie,” the filmmaker revealed. “He thought his performance was great, but we just got murdered.”
History almost always remembers the victor, and with Big Trouble in Little China continuing to win over new viewers with each passing generation and being held in high esteem by virtually everyone who’s ever seen it, Russell and Carpenter may have lost the first battle, but they ultimately won the war.
