Kurt Russell, one-time mall Santa, plays the 'real' guy in Netflix's 'Christmas Chronicles'

Brian Truitt | USA TODAY

Icon meets icon when Kurt Russell puts on Santa Claus’ magic hat.

The actor, whose resume has gifted the world with protagonists like Snake Plissken (“Escape from New York”) and Jack Burton (“Big Trouble in Little China”), plays Santa as a centuries-old action hero in present day with Netflix’s “The Christmas Chronicles” (streaming Thursday).

A couple of siblings (Judah Lewis and Darby Camp) try to capture Santa on camera, accidentally crash his sleigh and then have to help him save Christmas and deliver his payload before dawn. For the tale, Russell wanted to really go old school, doing research on the man born in the third century who spawned Claus lore.

“I've just never seen that. It's always been some take on Santa, Well, what about Saint Nicholas, the guy?” Russell says. “He's now living in modern times in the North Pole, but one night a year, he comes out. Let's face it, the guy knows when you're asleep or when you're awake. He's adventurous, kind of mischievous, and doing something nobody else does.”

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USA TODAY talks with Russell, 67, about his first holiday film since 1977’s made-for-TV “The Christmas Coal Mine Miracle" ("They used to trot that thing out every year. I certainly wasn't playing Santa Claus”).

Question: A Santa who zooms around in muscle cars and fronts a soul band in a jail cell does fit your Hollywood legend.

Kurt Russell: When I did “Elvis,” I was 28 and I'd done a bunch of Disney movies. When (show business) got the word of the casting of me as Elvis, it was like, "Oh, my God, what does that mean? This could be unbelievably bad." But it worked, and it changed the path of my career as it were. And now it's the opposite: "Kurt Russell? Hey, yeah!" A lot of things in between made that possible but, yes, I agree with you.

Q: Is it a trip playing a Santa who has to do his thing in the digital age?

Russell: He’s out there with a purpose and it's not just to give gifts away. He's got an issue with lost believers. It's an interesting dynamic that just around your teenage years, when you stop believing in Santa Claus, your life becomes much more complicated. But perhaps it has nothing to do with innocence. You had no problem believing at one time. It was totally real to you. So when you're faced with seeing the real person, it's back.

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Q: What was important to you about finding the right look?

Russell: You have to look at it from the point of view of the two kids. When they see Santa Claus, he should look like the iconic image but slightly different, more workman-like, more lumberjack-y, if you will. I always felt there was a little Captain Morgan to this guy, got a little pirate to him. And then I knew that we'd be doing a lot of stuff with wind and whatnot so it had to be my beard primarily. I thought that the minute you see this guy, you go, “Yeah, that's a real person.”

Q: What else did you find fascinating about being Santa?

Russell: There’s an intimidation factor that was very much verified for me. When I was on the set, parents and kids would wander by and little kids would inevitably stare at me. In between takes, I'd motion for them, and as the kids would come over, their eyes would drop. They couldn't really look me in the eye.

Q: Is this the first time in your life you’ve put on a Santa outfit?

Russell: It was important for (my 32-year-old son) Wyatt when he was a little boy that he get to see Santa at this mall and (the usual Claus) was done for the day. So I said, “Where's the costume?” They said, “You want to get into the Santa costume?” I said, "Yeah, I'll do it.” And so for about an hour and a half, I was the mall Santa.