Kurt & Wyatt Russell Were Both Athletes Before Actors | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

hi my name is Kirk Russell yeah so far. so good and I feel let's see and I. feel about con up I feel totally. justified about being Conan hey I like. that you like that it was like it was in. question but you stuck with it over the. years we just talk to an audience member. who who said his mom just doesn't get. it what now your turn sir um hi my name. is Wyatt Russell and I feel a strong. sense of impending doom. about.

nobody's making out of this. room it's actually an escape. room you guys are this is this. should be an escape room we've already. had like three audience members try to. get. out try to get out of here and it's like. I just and you're like did you know what. no no I just want away from this man I. hope you like this room cuz we're going. to be here for a week we have a fan here. who's wearing a tribute Conan wig right. there which I think boy that's close. it's very close.

thanks a lot. Kurt hey hey I want to meet up with Kurt. Russell in Miami and have him insult. me that's one of my lifelong dreams you. know I have to say uh I've grown up with. you I I love uh so much of I mean gee. you're you had this incredible movie. career you've made so many different. types of movie like you you've inhabited. more genres than just about anyone I can. think of there's no clear like pathline.

in your career is there it's just you've. made all these iconic movies it's. amazing keep going you're doing. great and that's all our. time no I you know I've always been. thrilled to talk to you because I've. always enjoyed you we were just talking. outside you're actually funny and you're. fun and you're nice I don't know you're. a really good guy you're actually funny. really good guy that's I want that on my. gravestone. actually actually. funny uh but you know what what's.

amazing is that uh I was introduced to. your son a couple of years ago I didn't. even realize it was your son uh I'm. watching one of my favorite shows is. Black Mirror and I'm watching this Black. Mirror episode starring this young actor. who I didn't recognize big beard and uh. it is a acting tour to Forest and I. watched it I was like who is that guy. that guy is absolutely fantastic and. then I find out it's Wyatt it's it's. your boy and I'm like that guy killed it. you absolutely killed it and I thought.

and what's interesting is neither one of. you started out thinking you'd be an. actor you both started out as athletes. yeah who got injured and then it started. with you you played baseball yeah you. were a child actor and then you said no. it's going to be baseball right well the. only reason I got into acting was. because my dad wasn't I I did everything. my dad did my dad was an actor and he. looked like he was having a fun life and. I wanted to get some bicycles for my. sister and myself and I had a paper. route and uh then I started like thank.

you listening see he he does everything. me could you adjust my lighting as well. absolutely anyway I I uh had the. opportunity to uh like you know go in on. some interviews and stuff and I got a. job and the the minimum pay scale was. enough to pay for those two bicycles so. I asked him I said so is this pretty. much it and he said yeah I said well you. know he said if you want to do it call. up call hild up my dad's agent call up. and tell her you want to you know keep.

doing it so I did and that was you know. that was why I got into it um I was. playing baseball and then yeah I mean. that was sort of what I thought I was. going to do for sure and didn't really. think about acting as something that I. was going to continue with I did like. writing a lot I liked acting it was. really fun and the money in it was just. sort of unbelievable for what you're. doing you're having fun you're you know. just having a good time and um and then. I guess I was when I got H out of. baseball I played three years of pro. ball and then I I uh and I was doing. well um so it was a big surprise to me.

and then I um you know I said well what. am I going to do really you know after. crying for three days and I said I you. know I guess well maybe I'll you know. stick with that I can always do that and. then I realized you know if I'm going to. do this I got to be really interested. and I'm going to have to do this my way. and my way was to try to create. characters you know memorable characters. where you I remember that that character. or that character in really fun stories. or great stories and then I had the I. just got lucky I had the opportun to. work with some really great directors.

and some great material and and then um. you know still doing it who's the one. think that follow is snake piskin the. one that follows you around the most or. is it you've done so many different. things that you never know when you bump. into someone is it going to be one of. the Tarantino movies is it going to be. snake pliskin is it going to be it just. changes and the biggest one I've ever. had is Santa Claus I mean that that was. Santa Claus on Netflix was just. everybody saw it I me it was like it was. really fun to do it something I always. wanted to do kind of fun to go from. snake make the Santa Claus you know over.

your career they're basically the same. character I've always thought what is. interesting about it is living in the. family that we live in obviously you. know Goldie's an icon and Kate you. nominated for an Academy Award like. second crack out of the box and Oliver's. done Oliver's done Oliver Hudson done. more work than all of us combined right. and um and always there was this thing. that uh well we used to not kiddingly I. was serious about one of the best actor. in a family is a hockey player so and a. Along Came the hockey player okay so you.

you grow up and you think I'm not going. to be uh an actor right you weren't you. weren't interested in that you were. interested in hockey yeah well it's like. youve youve kid you've got your kids. like do they want anything to do with. show business it's so funny that you say. that because my boy Becket when he was. about six CU I always trying to kept. kept them away from what I did um. because I was deeply ashamed of it and. uh I mean this guy's.

cool what am I doing uh um but my son. came and saw me do a big show uh like at. the Beacon Theater I mean I don't know. 25 3,000 2500 or 3,000 people you know. crowd going wild really good hot show my. son my my wife took my son who was about. six and he saw it and then they're. leaving the theater and she's holding. his hand and and uh she said what you. think and he said when I grow up I want. to do something where there's no stage. and no audience.

and he was basically saying what that. guy is doing I want to do the exact. opposite so he's really into computers. uh he's a really smart kid he's gonna. have I think uh he's he's a brilliant. guy he's gonna have a a great life yeah. and he's not he's he's he appreciates. what I do but he's like uhhuh no not me. right so when you were a kid that's what. it was because I um you know you see. what it is on screen and it's fun and. whatever but when you're like 6 years. old and you go to a King's game and that.

energy is directed towards your parents. who are just your parents it's like. really off-putting and and scary in a. way you're you're six or five or. whatever it is and I grew up with that. and I was like I just want to watch a. Kings game with my dad but um you you. can't and so that really seeped in and I. was like well I just don't want to do. that it doesn't it's not something that. interests me at that time also you don't. understand like what an artistic Avenue. can give you um when you get older and.

uh and so I was focusing on hockey it. just he took me to my first rank in. Toronto I was three years old my mom was. doing a movie and I can swear to God to. you as cheesy as it sounds it's like my. first real memory where I'm I was on a. ice rink Out outdoors in Toronto I would. skate from like bench to bench and it. stuck with me in this way that I was. like this is what I want to do and I. swear from four years old I was like I'm. going to be a hockey player it it also. differentiated myself from what they did.

and from a very early age it's important. to have your own thing especially when. your parents are so dominant in a field. you you want to find your own way yeah. it's really important and uh and and. also they never brought work home like. ever so it was just having fun sports. playing hockey baseball whatever it was. so that was like they didn't act like. celebrities around the house like movie. stars like we normally do like we. normally do yeah I mean yeah I did when. I come home when I come home I'm in full.

makeup and I'm like do you have any. idea who and what I. am a little Applause would be nice to. come home too we have an Applause light. at our table I'm always leaning on it. let's have a little Applause I had I had. to learn how to do my dad's hair from a. very early age you don't get your eg a. waffle until I get three minutes of. Applause but yeah I I I so I I did that. and um and then when it came time to be.

he was really good a sports parent. obviously playing sports and when I was. about 10 he said look you're good at. this and if you're still wanting to do. this when you're like 12 13 then it gets. real and it's not as fun anymore but it. becomes a different thing and if you do. I'll always support it and and I did and. uh I told him yeah this is what I want. to do and then we ended up moving to. Vancouver for me to play Junior Hockey. and that was my career path and that's. how I gained all of my that that's where. I learned how to do everything in my. life and you you were I mean you were. playing professional hockey like in. Germany and had fans hanging outside.

your house you would wake up in the. morning and there's just fans I mean. this is you had real success well it was. so I mean it was a small town I would I. real success is a big stretch um but it. was let just say compared to my athletic. career you killed it you killed it but. like I don't know the the guy who ran. the social media for the team was a bit. of an idiot and he like put my address.

on like Facebook on my like Facebook. profile and one day after we won the. championship I had woke up to fans. outside my door like wanting to get in. so at like 7:30 in the morning I was. drinking Vice beer and pretzels with. like cuz it felt it felt like safer to. let them in somehow yeah yeah you know I. always let fans into the. house I don't see any reason not to yeah. so that that went well and then I played. in Holland for a little while and um and. then I got hurt I I tore my hip apart.

and that that's when I really was like. look I mean I don't want to say I I. shouldn't do film because I really think. it's great and I started watching movies. I I I had had a hip injury prior to this. and it started to be like maybe I won't. do this forever you know like I got to. figure out something else and I started. watching movies I started with like the. AFI 100 and I love movies I went to USC. Film School in the summertime uh made. friends that weren't hockey players and. just realized like how much fun the. entertainment industry can be if you do. it on your own terms I always felt like.

having that you know your son probably. feels the same like it's like directed. at you towards you there's nothing you. can do about it feels helpless get a. little older and you're like well. actually I can kind of do it my own way. um which which has been great and it was. like I'll go down swinging in a ball of. fire if it doesn't work it doesn't work. and yeah but he also had worked you know. he he had played he did a little moment. in a picture uh John Carpenter movie. that I did with John Escape From LA and. then he did um that's right you you were.

you had a scene where you're supposed to. kick snake in the shin is that right. yeah oh no no no I'm sorry you're. supposed to sneer at him you're supposed. to that's funny you combined you. combined two stories he kicked Elvis. Elis that's right see I thought that was. funny but it was just mistaken yeah well. most of my big laughs are me just. misspeaking but um but yeah that's right. you as a as a child actor were in an. Elvis movie you got K in the sh but I.

mean he was he was there and he had this. small thing to do I said well you're. you're a kid in prison but you're the. only guy in here who's not afraid of. snake pin so when I look at you you look. you look back at me like you know what. are you looking at buddy yeah and and so. then we s found this tape or somebody. sent it recently or it's on the Internet. or whatever and somebody did a little. thing and and he said yeah what are you. what are you in for he said I'm in for. um what was it eating eating a hamburger. which you no red meat and it was the. deal I'm in for eating a hamburger and. um selling cigarettes. and so when he looked at me and came.

John came over to me went that kid's not. afraid of you man that's really that's. really great right and then we I did a. movie called Soldier where the whole. beginning of the movie is about these. kids who are really uh they're brought. up to be soldiers because they show. aggression or they show this or they. show that character I was playing was. the one you're going to follow later on. and he played him and he's really the. he's like one of the best things or if. not the best thing in the movie and and. the director once again said man he's.

really good and I said yeah and then he. had actually pointed something out to me. where he thought it was a mistake I went. down and talked to the director about it. we looked at the video he was on top of. it and it was it was very clear that. this was going to be something and then. I directed. Soldier and and never got paid for it. yeah I think that's there's now to me. what I'm hearing is if you what I'm. hearing is you both grew up um with this.

sense that it's a craft you got to work. hard obviously athletes know there's a. lot of preparation there's a lot of hard. work and that that all informs the fact. that it doesn't seem like either view. there's no entitlement and I've always. I've always had that sense because I've. been around you uh a bunch of times that. you are a guy who likes to work hard you. see this as a craft you see this as. something that's a job and that that was.

kind of the way you grew up and clearly. you have that too Wyatt yeah I mean look. growing up where we live um you see. entitlement all around you and it's like. I don't know why the you'd ever. look at that and be like that's what I. want to be I want to be an entitled. like like it's like here's where. you and I. different it's all I've ever wanted but. no one lets me get away with it. I desperately want to be in title but.

yeah I so I always I was in Lakewood and. Culver City and hockey is played in. places in California where um they're. not in the greatest areas like Norwalk. we had to be walked to the rink from the. car by parents because they were drived. by shootings in the 90s right and uh it. was just it was you saw a different side. of the world and then when I went to go. play in different you Bill it you don't. like live with your family always after. they left Vancouver when I was like 16. 17 I lived with different families in. Chicago and Toronto and you just live.

with other people so you get to see a. real sense of like what the world is. like obviously it's not a real sense of. the world is like in you know in Los. Angeles where we live so yeah I that. that's like it's like my greatest fear. in the world is somebody being like what. an entitled dck making me think making. me think about Norwalk I was like of. course I was probably the only parent. that said no go ahead you'll be fine. right you get shot just walk it. off hey it's hockey Wyatt got come.

on.