Despite the apparent similarities between Snake Plissken from Escape From New York and Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, actor Kurt Russell reveals that he never had any inclination to lend his voice to a similar character in a video game.
In a GQ video that delves into some of Russell’s most memorable roles, the interviewer raises the topic of Solid Snake from Metal Gear while discussing Russell’s portrayal of Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s 1981 film Escape From New York.
The interviewer prompts, “There’s a video game series called Metal Gear Solid, and there were rumors that a character in the game was inspired by Snake Plissken. It was said that they approached you for the voiceover.”
Russell responds candidly, “I’m pretty lazy by nature,” without confirming whether he was indeed approached for the role of Solid Snake. He elaborates, “There have been numerous times when people wanted to do something… I don’t know, I’m a movie guy.”
Explaining his perspective rooted in a different era, Russell expresses his preference for playing iconic characters for a single project and reveals, “I wasn’t interested in expanding financially off something that we had created… in terms of a character.”
The Metal Gear creator, Hideo Kojima, reportedly faced potential legal action for elements of the game that allegedly resembled Escape From New York. However, his friendship with director John Carpenter saved him from a lawsuit. Carpenter recalls advising against suing Metal Gear Solid, stating, “I know the director of those games, and he’s a nice guy, or at least he’s nice to me.”
Kojima has clarified that Solid Snake was not named after Snake Plissken, emphasizing that the name made sense for the character he envisioned rather than being a direct homage.
