Monarch: Legacy of Monsters star Wyatt Russell has finally spoken in detail about his incredibly close relationship with his father, Hollywood legend Kurt Russell, revealing that even after nearly two decades in the business, many people still have no idea they are related.
The 39-year-old actor, who plays the younger version of his 74-year-old father’s character Lee Shaw in the Apple TV+ series, recently sat down for interviews where he shared personal stories about working side by side with his dad. What came out was a rare and honest look at one of Hollywood’s most private father-son relationships.
During a fan Q&A event for the show, Wyatt read out some online comments that had gone viral. One fan had written, “Man… that dude that plays the younger version of Kurt Russell’s character is doing a pretty cool Kurt Russell impersonation.” Wyatt burst out laughing at the word “impersonation.” Another fan comment came with a shocked Pikachu GIF and said, “My face when I found out it was actually his son.”
“You just assume that after 17 years of being in the public eye that most people would know,” Wyatt said with a smile. People still come up to him and say, “Oh wow, you’re actually his son.”
Kurt admitted this was the first time he had heard anyone call his son’s performance an impersonation. The moment showed just how comfortable and playful the two are with each other.
The On-Set Revelation That Changed Everything for Wyatt
Working together on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters gave Wyatt something he never expected – a front-row seat to watch his father work in a way he had never seen before.
People often ask Wyatt what he learned from Kurt. His answer surprises them. “Normally, I’m asked, ‘What did you learn from your dad?’ And the answer to that is, ‘nothing,’ because I grew up with him,” Wyatt explained in an interview.
But insights are different from learning. Wyatt said working with his father gave him a whole new understanding of Kurt as an actor. “Insights I could take away from were how he can adapt to a situation very well. I hadn’t experienced it before,” Wyatt shared. “You can’t know that about an actor until you’ve worked with them. You only see the result. I didn’t see the adaptation of what was happening, what he was having to do. But seeing it in person, while it was happening on- and off-camera, was unbelievably impressive.”
The thing that struck Wyatt most was his father’s energy. Kurt has been in the film industry for over 60 years. He has done pretty much everything an actor can do. Yet on set, he was still the most energetic person around.
“Here’s a person who has been in the industry for 62 years. He’s 73 years old. He’s done everything there is to do. And he’s still the most energetic person on set,” Wyatt said. “If you think you’re ever gonna get anything less than 110 percent from him, you’re very, very mistaken. And so having people go, ‘Oh my God, holy sh–, I gotta keep up with this guy who feels like he’s 25, but he’s 72’ – that was fun to watch.”
Playing the Same Character Across Time
The structure of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters gives viewers something special. Wyatt plays the young Lee Shaw in the 1950s when the secret organization Monarch was first formed. Kurt plays the older version of the same man in 2015, after the Godzilla attack shown in the 2014 film.
This meant the two actors had to make the character feel like one person, even though two different people played him at different ages. Wyatt said their natural similarities helped.
“The good part of the idea was that the mannerisms and things that are going to be intrinsic to who we are as people are going to be there,” Wyatt explained. But he also noticed differences in their styles. “There are times when I’m much more subtle than my dad, and not in a good way or a bad way. It’s just, I think, my personality. I’m a little bit more laid back.”
Sometimes Wyatt had to push himself to match his father’s energy. “There were times where I was like, ‘No, if you’re Kurt Russell in this scene – my instinct is to sort of lay back a little bit and his instinct might be to take the stage a little bit.’ That helped me, especially when Lee Shaw is supposed to have a little Kurt Russell swagger.”
Kurt added that the challenge was remembering they were not playing a father-son relationship on screen. “We don’t have to give life to a father-son dynamic because we are playing the same person, just at different ages. This actually helps the audience understand more easily why certain situations happen in the present.”
Why Wyatt Decided to Do This Project with His Father
The idea of working together did not happen by accident. When the creators of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters came to them with the concept, both father and son felt it was the right project to finally do together.
“It was such a good idea,” Wyatt said. “It was a Godzilla world, Godzilla is an international star icon, and so if we were going to do something together, it felt like it could be impactful, and worth our time, energy, and effort. And as we went down the road of figuring out if this was something that we’d want to do, it was just like, ‘Okay, yeah, I think that the way they’ve woven the story and how they say they want to write this character, that it could be something really interesting.’”
This is not the first time Wyatt has played a younger version of his father. Before he was famous, he did it in the film Soldier. But this time was different. Both actors have their own careers now, and they share the same character in the same series.
A New Understanding Through Fatherhood
Wyatt’s relationship with his father has grown even deeper since he became a parent himself. Wyatt has two young boys with his wife, actress Meredith Hagner. Their first son, Buddy Prine, was born in 2021, and their second son, Boone, arrived in 2024.
“When you become a parent, you realize what your parents feel about you,” Wyatt shared. “And so you realize that all they want you to be is happy. They want you to live a fulfilled life, and that’s all you care about for your kids. And so I’m imagining that’s all my parents care about.”
After Buddy was born, Wyatt talked about how fatherhood changed everything. “It’s everything you didn’t know it was going to be. I think everything you hope it’s gonna be is like a mish-mash in your mind before it really happens and then after it happens, whatever happened before is almost like it never happened.”
Family Fun on the Today Show
The close family bond was on full display when Kurt and Wyatt appeared on the Today Show to promote season two. Kurt’s daughter, actress Kate Hudson, sent in a video message that caught everyone off guard.
Kate, whose mother is Goldie Hawn, has always called Kurt her “Pa.” She asked him directly, “Question for my dad, you’ve now worked with two of your children for a collective millisecond on screen and I’m just curious who your favourite scene partner is?”
Wyatt jumped in before Kurt could answer. “I can answer that question. She’s been nominated for two Academy Awards and I’ve been nominated for a Teen Choice Award.”
Kurt confirmed Wyatt was right, but for a different reason. He talked about a scene where they used ear pieces to communicate. Wyatt would tell him, “Pa just don’t say that.” Kurt would ask what he should say instead, and Wyatt would reply, “Whatever you come up with, just don’t say that.”
The moment showed the playful, comfortable relationship the whole family shares. Kurt has been with Goldie Hawn for over 40 years, and together they raised Kate, her brother Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt as one big, happy family.
The “Impersonation” Confusion That Went Viral
The fan comments that Wyatt read during the Q&A have been shared widely online. Many people genuinely did not realize that the younger man playing Lee Shaw was actually Kurt Russell’s real-life son.
One fan’s shocked Pikachu GIF summed up the reaction of many viewers who only just made the connection. Wyatt found the whole thing hilarious. He even joked that Pikachu “might be more famous than Godzilla,” which made his father laugh.
The viral moment brought even more attention to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and the unique father-son collaboration at its center. Viewers who might have missed the connection before now understand why the two performances feel so connected. The real-life bond between Wyatt and Kurt brings an authenticity to the character that no amount of acting could create.
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Season Two Arrives
The second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is releasing on Apple TV+ on February 27. The new episodes will continue exploring Lee Shaw’s story across different time periods, with both Russell men returning to their roles.
The series is part of the larger MonsterVerse franchise that includes films like Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). But the show focuses more on the human stories behind the monster mayhem.
For viewers in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and around the world, all episodes are streaming now on Apple TV+. The show gives audiences a rare chance to see a real father and son share the screen in a way that few productions have ever attempted.
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