Kurt Russell

Russell's Not-So-Easy Ride

Kurt Russell has been working as an actor in Hollywood since he was a child in the Sixties, but he's about as different as can be from the typical Tinseltown thesp.

For one, he is a card-carrying member of the National Rifle Association and an admitted Republican, something a lot of similar-minded stars have

chosen to keep under wraps in the liberal world of showbiz.

"There were instances where people would call me up and say, 'This director was afraid of working with you because of your politics'," says the 56-year-old, who dubs himself a libertarian.

"That started to change about 10 years ago," he continues. "Writers stopped trying to turn me into a wooden Republican along the lines they were doing to Charlton Heston.

He is also unafraid to admit that acting is one of the easier professions, and something that has got him into trouble with those who prefer to play the 'artiste'.

"To go on about acting as art is ridiculous," he admits. "You don't have to be gifted just to hit a mark and say a line. As far as I'm concerned

that's 90 per cent of the job. Anyone who finds acting difficult just shouldn't be doing it."

Indeed, the reluctant professional does make his latest role look easy, playing a psychotic driver called Stuntman Mike in Quentin Tarantino's new film, Death Proof.

A heartless but charismatic villain, Mike cajoles young women into his specially-adapted car for a journey that normally ends in tragedy.

"I just took one word and ran with it - coward," explains Kurt of his approach to the character. "This is a guy who kills women. I think it's

the core of all these psycho-killer characters, especially this one."

It's certainly a return to the scarier side of Kurt's portfolio, the veteran screen star having cornered the market in horror as a younger man, in films including The Thing and Escape From New York.

Still handsome in middle-age, Russell reportedly caused something of a stir among the younger women on set, including Rosario Dawson, Rose McGowan and Die Hard IV's Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

"They were really cute," he says, slightly embarrassed at the reaction to his lantern jaw. "I remember I walked in on a conversation and [actress Jordan Ladd] said, 'We're just talking about our daddy crushes'. They all looked at me and smiled. They were very sweet."

Renowned for his on-screen stunts, Kurt shows no signs of wanting to scale down the action, and does a lot of the incredible driving in the movie himself.

"The problem is you're in the wrong lane doing 100 miles an hour," he explains.

"You have to trust that a coyote won't run into the road or another car slips by one of the roads they've told you are shut off.

"To put that out of your head and play the character while you're doing it, that's what you get paid to do. But you go to work every day and say 'I hope I come back today!'."

Going to the edge is something Kurt is used to. During the filming of Poseidon, he almost drowned whilst shooting a climactic action sequence - because he was so concerned with making it look real.

After more than forty years in the business (he was signed to a Disney contract when he was just 10, he shows no sign of slowing down on screen, although he is

more choosy about his roles. And at home, things couldn't be more calm.

He lives happily in a ranch just outside of Aspen, Colorado, with long-time partner Goldie Hawn, and is a doting stepfather to Goldie's actress daughter Kate Hudson. He is also father to two sons, one with Goldie and another with his first wife, Season Hubley.

His next movie promises to be more of a family affair since Goldie has called in a favour and signed him up to Ashes To Ashes, her directorial debut.

Let's just hope he does more for her than 'hit the mark and say the line'.