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Kurt Russell takes a trip down memory lane and remembers how he went from kicking Elvis Presley to being himself.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Russell recalled his role in the 1963 film, “It Happened at the World’s Fair,” where his only job was to kick Presley off screen.
“My role was to kick Elvis in the shin so the girl he liked would take pity on him,” Russell told the outlet. The star noted that the King of Pop took precautions to make sure Russell’s kick didn’t hurt his shin.
Kurt Russell played Elvis Presley as a child star in “It Happened at the World’s Fair.” (Getty Images/Alamy)
“Elvis put a shin pad under his pants leg, and I took a few practice shots—until he was sure I wasn’t going to miss and hurt him,” Russell said.
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On March 12, Russell was a guest on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and said that Presley paid his character in the movie 50 cents to kick him in the butt and get the attention of a nurse he was interested in.
“Elvis put a shin pad under his pants leg, and I took a few practice shots—until he was sure I wouldn’t miss and hurt him.”
“She had a pad on her, and everyone was a little worried about it,” Russell began. “And I had shoes on, not sneakers. And I did it about 10 times and Elvis goes, ‘I think he got it. I’m not worried about that.’
“It Happened at the World’s Fair” 1963 movie poster. (LMPC via Getty Images)
“Elvis Presley was so cool. We were back in Los Angeles shooting, and my dad comes on set with me, and I see Elvis looking over, really looking over. And he’s like, ‘Is that your dad? Your dad over there?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and he said, ‘Oh, can I meet him?’ And I said, ‘Okay, sure,'” Russell said.
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“‘Dad, this is Elvis Presley. He’d like to meet you,'” Russell continued. “He said, ‘Mr. Russell. I love the way you wear your hat in all the cowboy movies you do. If I ever do a cowboy movie, would it be okay if I wear my hat that way?’ He was such a cool person.”
Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley in a promotional photo for the ABC TV movie “Elvis.” (American Broadcasting Corporation via Getty Images)
“It Happened at the World’s Fair” launched Russell’s acting career at just 12 years old. In 1979, Russell took on a “career-changing role” in the TV movie “Elvis.” He told the WSJ that he “went from kicking her to being himself.”
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Presley was 27 in “It Happened at the World’s Fair” and Russell was 27 when he played Elvis in the TV movie.
Elvis Presley playing guitar. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
After taking on a few roles as a child star, Russell was able to successfully transition to adult acting and land major roles in cult classics such as “Escape from New York,” “The Thing,” and “Big Trouble in Little China.”
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Now, Russell is starring in Taylor Sheridan’s “The Madison” opposite Michelle Pfeiffer.
(LR) Michelle Pfeiffer as Stacy Clyburn and Kurt Russell as Preston Clyburn in the Paramount+ series “The Madison.” (Chris Saunders/Paramount+)
A press release for the series says “Madison” is “a deep love story interspersed with a deep family drama about resilience and change.” It also stated that this is “Taylor Sheridan’s most intimate work to date.”
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The series reveals “two different worlds – the beautiful place of Montana and power in Manhattan – as explores the bonds that unite families,” the release said.
The first season of “The Madison” has six episodes and premiered on Paramount+ on March 14.
