When Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin began casting for their sci-fi adventure film “Stargate,” their wish list for the role of Colonel Jonathan J. “Jack” O’Neil consisted of just one name: Kurt Russell. There was no backup option, and there was a very good reason for that. Jack is a no-nonsense military man who essentially plays the straight man role of Dr. Daniel Jackson, James Spader’s goosey coward. It’s a void of charisma. So rather than casting a badass guy in the mold of Lee Marvin (who was almost dead at the time), Emmerich and Devlin opted to cast a movie star that every sane person in the world loves.
Although “Stargate” is little more than a serviceable B-movie with impressive production values, O’Neil’s reluctant alliance with Jackson gives the film some much-needed zip. A touch of tension aside, Russell and Spader are great actors who instinctively know how to play their respective types. A 2016 GQ profile of the former further revealed that Russell fended off Emmerich and Devlin until they paid him double his market value. He couldn’t refuse this offer, but he was still baffled by their insistence on choosing him. As the star recalled:
“They said, ‘Oh, well, we put a questionnaire out across the world.’ They wanted to rate actors on how unlikeable they were. They wanted to find someone who was likeable because the role, as written, wasn’t. And they said, ‘You know the only star out there who has no dislike?’ ‘Kurt Russell.’ Zero antipathy!” [Laughs] Well, that was a long time ago. This figure may have changed significantly. »
Kurt Russell has “no antipathy”
The author of the GQ article claimed that Russell’s performance in “Stargate” allowed the actor to stretch himself a bit and change people’s perception of his image. Aside from sporting a tight military haircut, I don’t think there’s much distance from his portrayal of the laconic Snake Plissken in “Escape from New York” or the relatively humorless MacReady in “The Thing.” He had also played the role of a gruff authority figure in “Backdraft.” So the performance itself was no surprise if you’re a Russell fan.
I also sincerely doubt that his “lack of sympathy” has changed since then, even after such hideous duds as “Soldier,” “3,000 Miles to Graceland” and “Crypto.” As Russell thought about his beloved character, he came to accept it as fact. “Inherent sympathy, or inherent dislike,” he told GQ, “is something that I think we all carry within us.” But the relatively humble star was quick to deny the observation, adding: “Now when you talk about yourself in those terms, I find it unsympathetic. ‘Stop it! You idiot! There are millions of people who can’t stand the fucking sight of you!’ And maybe that’s true.”
I’m going to have to disagree with your police work there too, sir. I have yet to meet a person whose face doesn’t light up every time I mention one of the many great rewatchable Kurt Russell films that already exist. You’re the king of dad movies, sir. Kiss him. Enjoy it. And please keep making movies.
