Actors Kurt Russell and Charles Bronson are among the best-known names in the Western film genre, with quite a few important cowboy films beneath their belts. Still, did you know that they worked together? Once upon a time in the west (California, to be exact), Bronson and Russell starred together on a 1963 television series called “The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters,” and a year later in the movie “Guns of Diablo,” which served as a bigger, full-color version of the show’s finale. Both are known mostly for introducing the world to Russell, who had done a few background spots on TV but hadn’t gotten much attention until his starring role on “Jaimie McPheeters.” However, it turns out that filming with Bronson had a surprising impact on the young actor.
In a 2015 interview with Vice, Russell shared a charming story about how he and Bronson exchanged gifts while working together and Bronson ended up sticking up for his younger co-star when the president of MGM shut down his fun. Bronson was best known for playing brutal characters and had a reputation for being difficult offscreen, so Russell’s story shows a very different side of the complicated star. Maybe Bronson was just good with kids, or maybe Russell brought it out in him, but either way, the two shared some magical moments.
Bronson stands up to the MGM boss for Russell
The whole situation began because a preteen Russell wanted to give Bronson a gift, something that the actor would do throughout his career. (He and co-star Val Kilmer legendarily exchanged some very in-character gifts while filming “Tombstone,” for example.) The gift wasn’t quite received as expected, however, and led to an unusual friendship between the two actors. As Russell told Vice:
“I really liked Charlie. Charlie Bronson was… he was a very disliked man in many corners. He was a guy that did mean things. But I liked Charlie. I got him a present one time. Which he received, and went straight to his trailer, and the whole crew was like, ‘Aw, Kurt. He’s just an unhappy guy.’ And I was like, ‘It’s OK.’ And then about a half hour later, [I hear] ‘Kurt, Charlie wants to see you.’ Went over to Charlie’s trailer, knocked on the door, I’m thinking, What the f*** did I do wrong? He opens the door, he looks at me, and he goes, ‘Um, nobody’s ever given me a present before, so thanks.’ And he shuts the door.”
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Two months or so later it was Russell’s birthday, and Bronson surprised him with a Makaha skateboard. He also got one for himself, and the two actors would skate together around the MGM lot. Unfortunately, one day a crew member told Russell that he couldn’t skate on the lot for insurance reasons, and that was the end of that. Or it would have been, except that Bronson had something to say about it. And who wouldn’t listen to a stern Charles Bronson?
Skateboarding with Charlie
According to Russell, when Bronson discovered his young co-star on set one day without his board, he asked about it and then made his way straight to the president of MGM. Russell said that he went directly past the secretary and into the president’s office, where he said, “This is Kurt, I got him a skateboard for his birthday. We’re gonna be riding them all over the lot. Just want to let you know,” then he turned around and walked out. The two continued to skate together and were friendly despite Bronson’s tendency to be difficult with just about everyone. He could even be violent with people on set, and earned a reputation for “blowing up and hitting people” according to director Michael Winner. He was notoriously challenging to work with and had nothing but disdain for many of his younger counterparts, saying that actors like Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, and Al Pacino were all “full of bull.”
While Russell saw a warmer side of Bronson than most, he was clearly still impacted by the elder actor’s trademark no-nonsense attitude. Some of Russell’s later performances have a hint of Bronson about them, especially MacReady in “The Thing” and Snake Plissken in “Escape from New York,” easily two of the coolest badasses in cinematic history. Russell and “The Hateful Eight” director Quentin Tarantino probably had plenty to talk about with regards to Bronson, as the gruff movie star left an impression on the young director that would impact his entire career.
Bronson has a complicated legacy with some pretty dark chapters, but skateboarding with Russell is a brilliant bright spot.