Kurt Russell delivered an unforgettable performance as Colonel Jack O’Neill in the 1994 sci-fi blockbuster movie, Stargate, but he chose not to make an appearance in its follow-up TV series. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the movie was an adventure of sorts that featured a unique premise about an ancient portal connecting Earth to distant worlds. Russell’s character, crucial to the movie, was a hardened military man with a skeptical attitude; he led the expedition and braved a desert landscape filled with unknown dangers. The first entry in the Stargate universe, it was a box office success, grossing nearly $200 million worldwide.
The popularity of Stargate led to the creation of the TV series Stargate SG-1, which premiered in 1997. The show expanded on the movie’s concept and saw the central team of military personnel and scientists as they continued voyaging through the Stargate to explore various planets and fight alien threats. Stargate SG-1 starred Richard Dean Anderson as Jack O’Neill alongside Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge. It went on to become a major sci-fi hit, and despite switching networks, it ran for ten seasons and over 200 episodes.
Kurt Russell chose not to reprise his role as Jack O’Neill in the series, and when he was asked about his decision, Russell revealed that he didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret about leaving O’Neill behind. In a 2006 interview with Dark Horizons, the actor explained.
“I did three television series. They’re hard work. They are very frustrating in many different ways. They’re a great place to go to work and make money as an actor. I say that not frivolously. It’s not easy to make a living as an actor. People hear me say that and they look at that, they put it into a zone of he just works for money. Yeah I do. What do you do? Do you do this for free? Would you do this for free? Five years of listening to this s*** for free? (Laughter) You have to work. It’s not easy making money as an actor. It’s just not an easy thing to do. There’s so many that want to do it and so few opportunities to do it that it’s not as easy as it would seem.”
Kurt Russell’s Decision To Stick To Movies Turned Out Great
The original Stargate was intended to be the first in a trilogy, but follow-ups were first delayed and eventually abandoned altogether. This seemed to work well for Russell’s career and allowed him to focus on other projects for almost a decade. During this period, he starred in a variety of critically acclaimed movies, including Breakdown, Vanilla Sky, Miracle, and Sky High. He was also flexible with switching between independent dramas and big-budget spectacles.
Russell’s choice to focus on movies instead of committing to a long-running TV series proved instrumental overall. TV shows that run for an enormous amount of time can limit an actor’s ability to take on diverse roles and explore different mediums. By not being tied down to Stargate SG-1, Russell was able to maintain his dynamic and deliver a wide range of performances.
Currently, Russell remains active in both movies and TV. To the latter, he has returned in a different capacity by voicing the character Ego in the animated series What If…? on Disney+ and as main character, Lee Shaw, in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which premiered on Apple TV+ in 2023 and has already been renewed for another season, although Russell’s involvement in the new episodes is currently not confirmed.
