The only time Kurt Russell ever played a coward: “He’s an extreme version”
The word “coward” isn’t one that many cinephiles would associate with characters played by Kurt Russell. After all, this is the man who has played iconic action heroes like Snake Plissken, legendary gunslingers like Wyatt Earp, and bearded badasses like RJ MacReady. These characters didn’t have a cowardly bone in their body, and it’s difficult to imagine an actor as charismatic, charming, and cool as Russell ever playing anyone who did. However, Russell believes he once played an extremely cowardly character – and you’ll never guess who he’s referring to.
In 2014, Russell spoke with IGN about why he believes so many of his characters have resonated with audiences over the years. To the Backdraft star, it’s all about the humanity he brings to roles, even when they’re part of explosive action movies, gritty crime pictures, or rootin’ tootin’ westerns. He is adamant that every human being is capable of being funny from time to time, so he tries to inject that into his parts where he can.
Russell believes he has always had the ability to find the humour in characters that other actors mightn’t even think to look for. He’s an expert at infusing this ability into a movie. It makes sense, too, because even the darkest situations in real life are often lightened by someone making a joke.
“I think sometimes actors are trying to make themselves believe something about themselves more than making the audience believe it,” Russell mused. “I think that a lot of times I see characters that are played as action-types, and they just have no reality to them. It’s as if they never shut a car door on their finger.”
To temper this impulse, though, Russell also recognises that different characters can withstand different levels of reality being brought to them, so he’s always judicious with how he applies it. “I would never do anything to Snake Plissken that I would do to Jack Burton,” he explained by way of an example. “I would never do anything to Jack Burton that I would do to Stuntman Mike.”
Indeed, Stuntman Mike – the serial killing stunt driver Russell played in Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 grindhouse movie Death Proof – was able to withstand a significant amount of the actor’s infusion of reality and humour. The reason why is utterly fascinating, too – it’s because Russell didn’t see him as a terrifying horror movie villain. He saw him as something much more realistic: a coward.
“Stuntman Mike is ultimately a massive coward,” Russell contended. “So, it gives you tremendous room to be seriously, seriously weird…because he’s a guy who’s like the Cowardly Lion; if somebody ever turns around and slaps him on the nose, he’s just so stunned at how much that hurt.”
In Russell’s nuanced take on the character, Stuntman Mike has built up a facade around himself that has always been impenetrable – right up until he meets the particular group of female victims in Death Proof. He’s always been the mythic, all-seeing, all-knowing killer who terrifies anyone who comes into contact with him. However, this time the women call his bluff and fight back, and he has no idea how to react. “When they finally do, he’s just shocked at the pain level because nobody’s ever shot him,” Russell grinned. “He’s never thrown whiskey on a bullet wound. He’s never had girls come back.”
The thoughtful star, whose unique method of inhabiting what could have been a one-note villain role made it so much more real, concluded, “I mean, he’s an extreme version of a coward.”
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.