Kurt Russell has a clear view of the streaming landscape after returning to television for the first time in nearly 40 years, and his verdict may surprise those who think movies carry more risk than TV.
Speaking at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, where he received the Crystal Nymph Lifetime Achievement Award, the 75-year-old actor said streaming shows are actually a bigger gamble than films.
“Back then, with movies, it was like you fail, so what? No one will probably see it,” he told reporters at a spectators-only news conference.
“There’s a sense now in Hollywood that doing streamers might be a little less risky than movies in terms of risk. That’s not true.”
The reasoning is simple: “There are a lot of eyes on it, and when you make a streamer that serves no purpose, it will be there as long as you want it to be.”
Russell is currently headlining two shows simultaneously, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on Apple TV and The Madison on Paramount+, his first leading television roles since starring Elvis in John Carpenter’s 1979 film of the same name.
The contrast between the audiences for the two shows caught his attention.
“With the Monarch the show is really dominated by an audience of 40 and under and Madison is dominated by those aged 30 and over,” he observed.
The Madisoncreated by Taylor Sheridan, was a particularly enjoyable experience.
“It’s really fun to do and Michelle is amazing,” he said of his co-star Michelle Pfeiffer, adding that working with Matthew Fox, with whom he had previously filmed Bone Tomahawkwas just as enriching.
“It’s just a dream experience. It’s just great from top to bottom, which is very rare.”
