When Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Kurt Russell collide, you know you’re in for a story-packed ride. During the promotion of the Grindhouse double feature, Leo Quinones grabbed a few priceless minutes with Kurt Russell, and came away with throwback stories, crashed cars, racing trophies, and a Billy Bob Thornton anecdote for the ages.
”This Is Worth Your 10 Bucks”
The Grindhouse project was Tarantino and Rodriguez’s love letter to the moviegoing experience of the ’60s and ’70s: double features, scratchy trailers, outrageous genre swings, and all.
When Leo mentioned his show being a “middle finger to movie critics,” Kurt lit up with the exact rebellious energy Grindhouse was built on. Seeing the full double feature, trailers, film scratches, fake ads and all, transported him right back.
“It’s a good night, isn’t it? It brings you right back.”
And yes, Kurt Russell wants the double feature to return. Honestly… same.
Kurt Russell: Actor, Icon… Racing Champion?
Before Snake Plissken, before Wyatt Earp, before Stuntman Mike, Kurt Russell was behind the wheel for real. And Leo unlocked a story most fans never hear: Kurt used to race quarter midgets and half midgets, and not casually. He won six national and world championships.
Let that sink in.
When Leo asked about his first car, Kurt wasn’t sure whether it was a ‘66 El Camino or a ‘56 T-Bird, but he was sure about one thing:
“I crashed them both.”
He rolled those racing skills into Hollywood stunt work, a major asset back in the days when studios wanted actors who could ride, shoot, fight, and drive.
“If you could drive or ride horses and do stunts, you got more work.”
So when Tarantino asked him to become the deranged, gearhead villain Stuntman Mike? Kurt was born for that role.
Preserving the Grindhouse Experience for the iPod Generation
Leo asked what it meant for Tarantino and Rodriguez to resurrect such a specific era of cinema for younger audiences. Kurt’s answer: these filmmakers love filmmaking. They’re movie fans first, directors second.
“Guys, we want to show you something… maybe you’ve never seen or heard of.”
From retro trailers to long-lost ads, Kurt was struck by the detail they brought back. Grindhouse wasn’t a parody. It was preservation.
The Tombstone Question Leo Had to Ask
You can’t interview Kurt Russell and not bring up Tombstone, one of the greatest Westerns ever made. So Leo went for it: what was the deal with the scene where Wyatt Earp slaps the hell out of Billy Bob Thornton? Was it a Hollywood slap… or the real deal?
Kurt smiled.
“Billy Bob was perfect… the scene played exactly the way I thought it was supposed to.”
Diplomatic, classy, and still leaving us wondering just how hard those slaps landed. Could Kurt return to the saddle for another Western?
“If it’s a great screenplay and you think it could be a lot of fun to do… sure, why not?”
Please, Hollywood. Make this happen.
Final Take
Leo closed the interview with one of the great truths of cinema: “Nobody takes a roundhouse to the head like you, Kurt.”
Kurt’s reply? “I take a punch here… a lot of here…”
A legend. Always has been. Always will be.
