As one of the best action movies to have ever graced the big screen, Kurt Russell and John Carpenter’s Escape from New York remains an all-time classic. As a major influence on Hideo Kojima’s equally iconic PlayStation game Metal Gear Solid, the resemblance between that pixelated protagonist and his flesh and blood namesake has always been so uncanny. So much so that it’s been rumored Russell was offered the role of Solid Snake back in the day.
Whether or not that’s totally true, the legendary actor’s reason for turning down projects such as that is another reason why we love Mr. Kurt Russell. During an interview for GQ’s YouTube video breaking down Kurt’s iconic roles, the rumor of his services being recruited for Metal Gear Solid were raised in conversation. Politely side stepping the subject, the man was a total champion when providing this initial reasoning for why he’d passed on this hypothetical opportunity:
