Hollywood star Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell starred in the Monsterverse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The father-son duo portrayed different phases of the character Lee Shaw, a former U.S. Army colonel entangled in monster investigations. While the 73-year-old actor portrayed the elder Lee Shaw, the Overlord actor embodied the character in his younger years.
Reflecting on his experience of acting alongside his son in the same role, Russell admitted to observing his son’s performance and evaluating it as some of his best work. He also shared that it even compelled him to raise the bar for his own performance.
Kurt Russell Found Inspiration In His Son’s Performance
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters focuses on half-siblings Cate and Kentaro Randa on their journey to uncover their father’s ties to Monarch, the organization known for monitoring Titans like Godzilla. Spanning generations, the series explores the intertwined lives of the Randa family and their allies, including former Army officer Lee Shaw.
Talking about the show at Deadline’s Contenders Television, Kurt Russell reflected on witnessing his son’s work firsthand. Although he has known him for all his life and has seen his work come to life prior to the series, he described his experience as “fascinating” considering he was set to portray the same character.
And it also made him realize that he would need to keep up with what his son and co-star, Wyatt Russell, established for the character. The Overboard actor acknowledged that he needed to step up his own game to match the Marvel star’s level of skill.
“I found myself watching this actor and I remember thinking, ‘F*ck, man – this guy’s good. I better get my game going here, because this can’t fall down when it gets to my part of it.”
The Emmy-nominated actor also shared that it is not the first time they have taken on the same role on-screen. Prior to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, they both portrayed different versions of the lead role of Todd in the 1998 sci-fi action film Soldier.
Kurt Russell Describes it as a First in Television History
Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell sharing the same character in the Godzilla spin-off marks the first time a well-known father-and-son duo has taken on the same role in a television series. Russell was initially unaware of this fact until it was brought to their attention during the series’ promotion.
He shared that many have looked it up and claimed that “it’s never been done before.” He further explained, “There’s never a known actor there, a father and son, both of them being known, the same role.”
He also said that their role, Lee Shaw was not that prominent until he and Wyatt Russell joined the cast. And once they joined the series, they worked together to develop the character and bring him to the forefront of the storyline.
To fans rejoice, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 actor also shared that his son, who plays John Walker, aka US Agent in the MCU, is currently filming in Atlanta for the upcoming Marvel film Thunderbolts, which is set to release on May 2, 2025.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is available to stream on Apple TV+.
