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AFP
If not for Kurt Russell's mainstream, boyish good looks, the phrase"cult star" would work for this unpredictable actor whose career includes some of history's best-loved box office flops.
Picture the 66-year-old's performances in comedy crime caper Big Trouble in Little China, sci-fi horror film The Thing or buddy cop movie Tango and Cash, and it's easy to see why he has just about attained"national treasure" status.
In truth, these movies, like many of his best-known roles, made no significant money during their theatrical runs, and each was panned by critics before enjoying a second lease on life in the home video market.
"I've done things that I loved that didn't get a very good release or were ill-timed or that people didn't want to see, but then got found and became cult movies," Russell said.
"The Thing was not at the time well received. Now it's considered one of the great horror movies.... Big Trouble in Little China was a movie that was completely misunderstood by a lot of people, loved by some. It really has a big cult following."
This month sees Russell as the common denominator in two of 2017's biggest blockbusters, with The Fate of the Furious having broken worldwide box office records and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 expected to be one of the largest domestic openings of all time.
"When that happens, it's nice. It's just nice to have the moment happen where two of them go 'boom boom,'" the actor said.
Russell's half-century career comes full circle on May 5 with Disney's release of Marvel's Guardians 2, in which he plays Ego the Living Planet opposite Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana.
"My whole career has been genre-jumping, and having the fun of being in all those different genres," he said.
Russell, as it happens, isn't much of a sci-fi guy; he hadn't even seen the original Guardians when he was being talked up for the sequel.
"I know of them, I've seen a few Iron Mans, I've seen a couple of Spider-Mans, Batmans and Supermans. There's a portion of it that doesn't draw me," he says, tailing off, as if suddenly unsure how to pluralise superheroes' names.
"Guardians of the Galaxy I was the right audience for that. That one works for me."
