Kurt Russell, the man known for starring in iconic roles throughout his career, has had some interesting events that made his life successful. From stealing an iconic role from notable actor Clint Eastwood to basing his character on him, Russell and Eastwood seem to share a special bond.
Before Russell was finalized for the role, it was Clint Eastwood who was supposed to star in the 1982 cult-classic film The Thing. Before portraying the iconic character, Kurt Russell had already based the iconic character of Snake Plissken off of Eastwood in 1981’s Escape from New York!
Kurt Russell Based His Iconic Character on Clint Eastwood
Back in 1981, Clint Eastwood had already become quite famous for his iconic roles. Kurt Russell who was at the beginning stage of his career was quite inspired by Eastwood. Portraying the iconic character of Snake Plissken in the 1981 movie Escape from New York, Russell stated that he based the character of Snake on Clint Eastwood’s personality.
In a documentary called Return to New York, Kurt Russell talked about the iconic movie and how Escape from New York was his big breakthrough. Talking about the inspirations and development of these characters, Russell stated that he based his character on Clint Eastwood‘s iconic portrayal.
Portraying the character called “Man with No Name”, Clint Eastwood starred in the 1964 movie A Fistful of Dollars. The low-raspy voice was enough for Kurt Russell to get impressed and base his character on Eastwood’s portrayal. As if this wasn’t enough, Kurt Russell also went on to star in the lead role in the 1982 movie The Thing, a role which was originally supposed to go to Clint Eastwood!
Kurt Russell Also Took Clint Eastwood’s Role In The Thing
With director John Carpenter attached as the director of the movie, The Thing was already guaranteed to be a success. Many names were discussed to have in the lead role since the story of the movie was indeed quite convoluted.
Among the plethora of actors, the story of the movie was written while keeping Clint Eastwood in mind as the main character. When the arrangement was not possible, director John Carpenter asked his pal Kurt Russell for the role. Having worked a year prior on the sets of Escape from New York, the role of R.J. MacReady was given to him.
The Thing was not considered a global success during its initial phase of release. Although it was just too great to be ignored, the 1982 film started getting recognition after a while and is now considered a masterpiece and a horror cult classic. With a rating of 8.2/10 on IMDB and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Thing is available to rent on Apple TV+.
Source: ScreenRant
