‘The Thing’ Co-Stars Kurt Russell & Keith David Reunite for First Time in 40 Years at John Carpenter’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony
John Carpenter, the horror and sci-fi auteur behind genre-defining classics like Halloween, The Thing, and Escape from L.A., received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 3 — and by his side were The Thing co-stars Kurt Russell and Keith David, who had not appeared together in public with Carpenter in 40 years. Also joining the pair was Greg Nicotero, director and special effects wizard who worked on Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness, Vampires, and Ghosts of Mars, among other films.
“[Carpenter] deserves this day, this praise,” said Nicotero in his speech honoring the director. “He’s altered the way that we watch movies, and today is about recognizing his magnificent and unprecedented contribution to the film industry.” Nicotero then added, “The one thing I want to hope is that by the time this ends, we’re finally gonna find out if Keith David or Kurt Russell was The Thing.”
David then took the stage and chuckled, “First, let me clear this up: it wasn’t me.” He then went on to praise Carpenter, who gave him his first-ever movie role with The Thing, saying that he “makes movies that are both good and important — and, at times, prophetic.” David went on to describe his experience of working on The Thing as being “in the presence of something beautiful … it just doesn’t get better than that.”
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Russell, who collaborated with Carpenter on the 1979 TV movie Elvis, as well as the feature films Escape From L.A., Escape from New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China, then took the stage, opening with a story about his infamous sombrero from The Thing.
After being cast as R.J. MacReady, Russell recalled, he went to the wardrobe department on set, and “I see what they’ve got … it all looks good but I keep noticing this ridiculously large sombrero in the corner. And I’m kind of looking at it and looking at it, and finally I said to the wardrobe gal, ‘What’s the deal with the sombrero?’ And she says, ‘Oh, that’s your hat.’ [I said] ‘I’m not wearing that hat! That’s insane!’ … John walks in the room and he goes, ‘Hey.’ I [say] ‘Hey, man,’ and pointed to the sombrero. And he went, ‘It’s gonna be great, man.’ He was right! If I had a dollar for everybody who’s come up to me and said, ‘You’re Sombrero Man,’ I’d have more money than I made on the movie.”
Russell then described Carpenter’s receiving the star as “totally deserving” and heralded Carpenter, who is known for doing everything from directing to composing to developing new camera lenses for his film, as a creator of “cinematic change.”
Journalist Wynter Mitchell caught Russell and David reconnecting in a video shot at the event:
The first time Keith and Kurt have seen each other in 4 decades is right here for 18 seconds. pic.twitter.com/armeHxL2Tp
— 🔥 🏠 with a Y 🏠 🔥 (@wyntermitchell) April 4, 2025
Stars that attended John Carpenter’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony
Also in the audience? Halloween star PJ Soles, who posted photos from the event on her Instagram — including a shot of her beside Michael Meyers himself, Nick Castle. Soles wrote, “Very honored to have been part of this well deserved recognition of the MASTER of HORROR JOHN CARPENTER at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel! 🎬🎃❤️ @johncarpenterofficial @ncastlez @robertbeastbest”
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Carpenter’s ex-wife and frequent leading lady, actress Adrienne Barbeau, also celebrated the event on Instagram, posting a pic of herself with Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash. She wrote, “What a joyful day celebrating John Carpenter get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! With Keith David and Kurt Russell and Greg Nicotero and Clea Duval and so many, many more longtime friends #johncarpentersthething #thefog #escapefromnewyork”
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Carpenter said of the honor, “I was a skinny kid from Bowling Green Kentucky walking these streets. I was looking for a career in Hollywood, well, I found my career … thank you so much to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for this place on this sacred boulevard where people and dogs can pee on me at any time, thank you very much guys, let’s have lunch.”
Carpenter’s star is located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
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