Kurt Russell plays up the mustache in ‘Hateful Eight’

At the heart of Quentin Tarantino’s Wild West potboiler “The Hateful Eight” is Kurt Russell’s grandly mustachioed bounty hunter John Ruth. He’s a straight-talking, cold-blooded, shotgun-toting bear of a man and Russell had the time of his life channeling his inner Jackie Gleason (or was it John Wayne?) to bring him to life.

Like the rest of the “Hateful Eight” cast, Russell spent months on a freezing soundstage. But he and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who plays his deadly bounty Daisy Domergue, had the added task of being handcuffed together and fighting the whole time.

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From the balmy confines of a luxury hotel in Los Angeles, Russell talked to The Envelope about on-set Stockholm syndrome, the art of slapstick and creative ways to use a mustache.

How did you find this character?

This was not easy. I’d done something in [Tarantino’s] “Death Proof,” during one of the takes. I was getting bored with myself and I just started doing it like John Wayne. And it fit the story, the character Stuntman Mike’s life, ‘cause he had a belt buckle he’d gotten from John Wayne in a movie. [chuckles] Quentin loved it. First thing I did when I read [“Hateful Eight”] was say, ‘Is this kind of — . ‘And he said, ‘Go there.’

So for the [“Hateful Eight”] script reading I did 60% John Wayne. When it came to do the movie, we kept bringing it down and bringing it down. We finally got rid of it. And then just brought little moments back. But I had five names on my script from Jackie Gleeson to Jason Robards to Jack Burton. And John Wayne. But I’m constantly attached to Daisy Domergue. So there’s John Ruth. There’s Daisy Domergue. And then together they’re their own entity. And again, they’re different things at different times. So there’s a Stockholm thing with Jennifer and I, attached to each other, also comes into play. They’re like a couple. They’ll push each other’s buttons just to watch the reaction. He throws that hot steaming soup in her face. By the way that wasn’t an easy gag to do.

Tell me about that choreography.

If you look, most of the time when I hit her, I’m not looking at her. That’s where Jennifer and I became very close. I told her the one thing that won’t happen is I won’t hit you. We may do 25 takes, but you’re going to feel very safe.

How did you do that?

She controls the gag. Because she’s the one who has to take the hit. The first one’s a gun over the head. The next one’s an elbow to the nose. The next one is going out of the wagon. When it came to that bowl, that was hard. That bowl was slimy,and I had to be able to hold it a certain way. And we did that about 12 times. I missed. I missed. I missed. And everybody’s getting a little [worried]. And I said, ‘If we take two days to do this, the one thing that’s not going to happen: That bowl isn’t going into her face. The stew is going to get there.’ And I’d come that far from her face. And I’m not looking at her. …When you see it all smoothly played, it’s seamless and they remind me of an insanely, physically abusive ‘Honeymooners.’

I loved that mustache move you did — that showy, in your face twirl.

That was one of the funniest things! I didn’t know he put that in the movie. John Ruth was so frustrated. He didn’t know what to do. That to me is what the mustache is about. And Walton Goggins is on the other side of the camera. And he’s rolling. What can I do to put him down in John Ruth fashion? What came to me was, ‘You think this is for show? Grow that [expletive]! Grow this!’ I saw Walton’s eyes go wide and he literally dove behind the camera. I only lasted for that [move] and then I went BAH-ha-ha! We both couldn’t stop. [I lasted] just long enough where he could cut away from it. I said, “I think I’ve just done something that nobody’s ever done before.”

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