The surprising movie Kurt Russell called “one of my favourite movies that I did”
If ever there was an actor who proved longevity isn’t inextricably linked to a bulging trophy cabinet, then it’s Kurt Russell. After all, he made his screen debut in 1962 and remains a prominent figure in Hollywood with countless iconic movies under his belt, despite never being an awards season concern.
Not only has Russell never been nominated for an Academy Award, but he’s only been shortlisted for a single Golden Globe and a solitary Primetime Emmy, and both of those nominations came over 40 years ago. And yet, the veteran remains as popular as ever and is an ironclad icon of the silver screen.
From his legendary partnership with John Carpenter that yielded Escape from New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China through to his association with Quentin Tarantino on Death Proof, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Russell has become equally synonymous with classic movies as he has with cult favourites, with some high concept genre fare thrown in for good measure.
Long before he played a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and debuted in the Fast & Furious franchise as the world’s most charismatic exposition machine, though, Russell headlined a light-hearted superhero caper that became a modest box office success before finding long-lasting life as a cult gem.
The 21st century has been inundated with superhero movies to the point of saturation, but whenever the conversation turns to name the most underrated examples to have arrived during the ongoing boom period that’s spanned more than two decades, Russell’s Sky High deserves to be named near the top of the pile.
A winning comedy about generational crimefighters, Michael Angarano’s Will Stronghold feels the crushing weight of pressure and expectation when he attends the titular establishment, thanks to Russell’s The Commander being one of the world’s most famous superheroes. Sky High is basically a comic book-tinged teen comedy, but for Russell, “it’s one of my favourite movies that I did, one of my favourite characters, and it’s got its own little cult wing.”
Surmising it to Ain’t It Cool as “so fucking funny,” the actor explained that despite being a heightened genre flick, Sky High ticks plenty of relatable boxes. “In everybody’s life, your freshman year in high school is your critical year in school no matter what,” he offered. “That can be that important, it can have that strong of an impact on you and everybody knows it going in.”
There was talk of a sequel percolating for a while, but director Mike Mitchell poured cold water on any hopes when he suggested Disney’s ownership of Marvel means the company isn’t going to have a vested interest in telling any other superhero stories. It retains plenty of fans, though, and Russell is clearly one of the biggest.