Kurt Russell kicked Elvis in the shin as a child in his very first movie: 'Everybody was a little...

The actor was 11 when he starred alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1963 musical &34;It Happened at the World's Fair.&34; Kurt Russell kicked Elvis in the shin as a child in his very first movie: 'Everybody was a little bit worried' The actor was 11 when he starred alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1963 musical &34;It Happened at the World's Fair.&34; By Emlyn Travis :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/EmlynTravisauthorphotocba6765b433b4f93b9398d18053153b1.jpg) Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at . She has been working at EW since 2022.

The actor was 11 when he starred alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1963 musical "It Happened at the World's Fair."

Kurt Russell kicked Elvis in the shin as a child in his very first movie: 'Everybody was a little bit worried'

The actor was 11 when he starred alongside the King of Rock 'n' Roll in the 1963 musical "It Happened at the World's Fair."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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March 12, 2026 11:35 a.m. ET

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Kurt Russell attends Paramount+'s "The Madison" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on March 09, 2026 in New York City, Singer Elvis Presley poses for a studio portrait in 1965. Credit:

Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Liaison/Getty

Kurt Russell is remembering the time he got paid to kick Elvis Presley in the shin.**

The 74-year-old actor was just 11 years old when he made his big-screen debut alongside Presley in the 1963 musical *It Happened at the World's Fair*. And as he explained on Wednesday's episode of* Late Night With Seth Meyers,* his role required him to deliver a swift blow to the King's leg. **

"[Presley's character Mike] wanted to have an excuse to meet this nurse, so he needs to figure out a way to go in there with something and he pays this kid 50 cents to kick him in the shins," Russell recalled. "So I got that job."

Kurt Russell and Elvis Presley in 'It Happened at the World's Fair'.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

But nobody panic! Presley was properly protected while filming the scene. **

"He had a pad on him and everybody was a little bit worried about it and they said, 'Now, kind of go easy,'" Russell said. "And I had shoes, not sneakers. I'm looking at it [the pads] like I can't miss that." **

*The Madison* star said he performed the stunt "about 10 times" before the "Blue Suede Shoes" singer voiced his approval. "Elvis was like, 'I think he's got it. I don't think I'm too worried about that,' you know?"

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Kurt Russell at the "Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters" season 2 premiere in February 2026.

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Russell also recalled a sweet moment on set during which he introduced Presley to his dad, actor Bing Russell. **

"We're back in Los Angeles shooting and my dad comes on the set with me, and Elvis was over there, and I see Elvis looking over. *Really* looking over," he said. "And now I'm going into the thing, he said, 'Is that your dad? Is that your father over there?' And I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'Oh man, can I meet him?'" **

Russell agreed and took Presley over to meet his pop. "He said, 'Mr. Russell, I love the way you wear your hat in all the cowboy movies you do. If I ever do a cowboy movie, would it be okay if I wore my hat your way?'" he recalled. "That's how cool a guy he was."

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

As it turns out, the elder Russell was fully on board. "My dad said, 'Sure, Elvis, it'd be nice,'" Russell remembered.

And so Presley did just that when filming his 1969 Western *Charro**.*****

"You ever see him in *Charro*? That's the way my dad wore [it]," Russell said. "My dad kind of wore his hat differently than anybody else. You gotta have something going for you."

Watch Russell recall working with Presley in the clip above.

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Talk"

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Source: Talk

Published: March 15, 2026 at 07:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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