7/28/2019 Kurt Russell interview (1987)

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TVIDEOVIEWT'Big Trouble' was noheadache for RussellBy Frank Lovece

In theaters last summer,"Big Trouble in Little China"was Big Headache with LittleBox Office. Yet when it comesto video this week on theCBS/Fox label, this John Car-penter action-adventure com-edy may turn out to be Big Hiton Little Screen.

Kurt Russell. who starred asfree-lance truck driver andall-around-good-guy Jack Bur-ton, says that no matter whatthe movie's fortunes. "I had agreat time - a great time! -making 'Big Trouble.' It's asimple picture, but it's a fun-house there's all sorts ofstuff going on in it, he savs."It s the kind of rnovie wheri itends and you say to yourself,'Wait a minute. Did I see whatI thought I saw?"' With video,of course, you can scan backand watch the ninja scenesagain in slow motion if youIike: same with the hettie inthe mystic temple.Russell conceived the free-wheeling Jack Burton as "ba-sically John Wayne meets Ed-die Haskell. And at times, incertain scenes. Jack Nichol-

son. I wasn't trying to imper-sonate them, you understlnd.but just to project this kind offeeling."He's not being disingenuouswhen he says that - his arravof adult roles on video shows arange that most former childactors find elusive.In "Used Cars" (1990, RCA-/Columbia), he was a charm-ingly outrageous salesman. Inthe futuristic adventure "Es-cape from New York' {lg8l.Embassy) and Swing Shift'r(1984, Warner), he earned crit-ical praise for sensitive, ro-mantic roles. "The Mean Sea-son" (1985, HBO/Cannon)earned no kudos from criticsbut they smiled on Russell as anewspaper reporter.Russell eschews traditionalIeading-man roles, preferringcharacter leads. 'I'm not clos-ing my eyes and saying I cando pictures like 'The MeanSeason' until I'm 75, because Ican't - because in four or iiveyears. they ll g(t sometodyelse to play that role. I'm trv-ing to reach a point where I mwanted for a wide varietv ofroles, where producers and di-rectors are comfortable insaying, 'Hey, people don't runaway from the theater whenhe's in the movie."'Certainly, no one is fleeinqtheir living rooms because of

Russell. His other films on vid-eo also include: "The Best ofTimes'(1986, Embassv); TheThing' 11982. MCA); and a .slew of Disney movies "Fol- llow Me, Boys!" (1966), "Mos- lby's Marauders" (1966), "The lHorse in the Grav Flannel !Suit" (1968), "The" One andOnly Genuine Original Familv IBand" (1968), 'The BarefooiExecutive" (1971), "The Com- Iputer Wore Tennis Shoes" i(1969) and its seouel. "NowYou See Him. Now You Don t"(1e72).

Kurt Russell