‘I’m more of a movies guy’ - Kurt Russell on turning down Metal Gear’s Solid Snake
Of all the terribly-kept secrets in the gaming world, perhaps the most prominent is the inspiration for Solid Snake. Kojima has been pretty clear about how Escape From New York served as the basis for Metal Gear Solid's iconic agent Snake, being drawn from Kurt Russell's appearance with his huge hair and eyepatch.
It all amounts to a very '80s idea of badassery, and with Russell being the benchmark for the character, of course, he was offered the role (even though he'd practically played Solid Snake already). The star eventually turned it down, and now, he's confirmed why. However, he couldn't be much vaguer.
Kurt Russell wasn't Solid Snake because he's a "movies guy"
Well, we could have told you that for free. In a recent interview with GQ, Kurt Russell was asked about the potential of voicing Solid Snake, a role that would later become pretty iconic. He revealed he wasn't entirely into it purely on the basis that he was more fond of being in movies.
"There have been many different times when people wanted to do something. I don't know. I'm a movie guy,” he says. "You've got to understand that, from my point of view, whether it's Elvis, or Snake Plissken, or Jack Burton, or R.J. MacReady, that was that project.
"That was that thing. You get into that mindset. You create that. You want to make that world happen." Perhaps it's for the best, given that David Hayter went on to serve as an incredibly iconic voice for the character - but oh, what could have been.
What's next for Solid Snake?
Click to enlargeAfter the launch of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, and after the man himself appeared in Fortnite, it seems that Solid Snake is back on everybody's lips - and it's good timing, too, as a new remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 is officially on the way.
We know things will be suitably revamped akin to the recent Final Fantasy and Resident Evil remakes, although expect Snake to be pretty unchanged in his next era. It might not be Kurt Russell, but with Hayter confirmed to be back as Naked Snake/Big Boss, we'll certainly take it anyway.
