Kurt Russell Destroyed an Antique Guitar
The Hateful Eight, directed by Quentin Tarantino and released in 2015, showcases a Tarantino rogues' gallery of some of his favorite co-workers, including Kurt Russell, Sam Jackson, and Michael Madsen. Russell, who has been in the movie longer than anyone else, is essentially a seasoned veteran by this point, so you'd think he could handle any moment with ease. And in 99% of cases, that is accurate. Only when he is unaware of what he is holding in his hands does it become problematic.
In the movie, Russell had a disagreement with a Jennifer Jason Leigh-portrayed character. He takes her acoustic guitar, which she was holding at the time, and smashes it against a post. As far as movie scenes go, it's hardly a huge deal, but this time it was. The acoustic guitar Leigh was clutching was an original, authentic piece from the 1870s. A prop version was supposed to be grabbed and destroyed by Russell. However, something went wrong, and Russell ended up with the genuine article.
If the guitar had a cash value, it was the $40,000 insured amount. However, historically speaking, it was something that was simply unreplaceable. The Martin Guitar Museum, who lent Tarantino the guitar, was guaranteed to never again agree to lend anything to a motion picture production as a result of the destruction.
- Cost: $40,000
