Nick Fury, in charge of the Hollywood box office: 15 facts about Samuel L. Jackson (16 photos)

His filmography is so large that Samuel is known to viewers with a wide variety of tastes, from fans of Tarantino’s work to fans of Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.





Still from the film “The Killer’s Bodyguard” Anastasia Ageeva

He started swearing dirty to avoid stammering



Still from the movie "Django Unchained"

Before Samuel L. Jackson became one of Hollywood's most successful actors, he had difficulty communicating with people. As a child, he was teased because of his slurs in speech, so he tried to remain silent for almost a whole year at school. One day he took the initiative into his own hands and began to study different breathing techniques to overcome the disease. Then Samuel found a cure for stuttering - curse words, which later became an integral part of his public image.

The unusual technique came in handy again much later, on the set of the western Django Unchained - only this time not for Samuel, but for his co-star Leonardo DiCaprio. He was terribly uncomfortable playing a completely disgusting person who constantly uses dirty language. DiCaprio was able to cope only thanks to Samuel, who set an example for him, freely swearing on the set.

Samuel L. Jackson intended to become a marine biologist





Still from the film “The Same Man”

In the '60s, Jackson attended college with plans to one day become a marine biologist. However, after he saw an African-American troupe perform, Samuel decided that his true calling was to be an actor. Then Jackson changed his major to acting and joined the ensemble, which inspired him to choose a profession.

He studied diligently because he was afraid of being drafted into the army.



Still from the film “Tarzan. Legend"

Samuel L. Jackson's youth was spent in the shadow of the Vietnam War, which was still raging during his draft age. The actor was terribly afraid of the prospect of going to another continent on a not-so-peaceful mission, which he tried with all his might to avoid. To do this, Samuel studied three times harder - he understood that if his performance was not high enough, he would probably be sent to the front.

“I had to stay in school. Either I get good grades or I get sent to Vietnam—that was the state of things when I was 19.”

He was raised by his grandparents



Still from the film “Detective Shaft”

Samuel L. Jackson was born in Washington, where he was raised by his grandparents until he attended college. Jackson's mother lived nearby, but she only visited him at Christmas and during the summer holidays before his son was nine years old and Samuel's father died due to alcoholism.

Despite such a childhood, Samuel L. Jackson never spoke ill of his parents in interviews. Instead, he thanked his grandparents.

“Every day they inspired me to get up and go to work. They were loving, strict and God-fearing.”

Jackson is the richest actor in history



Still from the movie “Kingsman: The Secret Service”

Samuel L. Jackson has already produced more than 150 films, including blockbusters like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Considering this fact, it is not surprising that the total box office of the actor’s filmography has reached an absolutely astronomical amount - more than $13 billion in worldwide box office receipts.

Volunteered at Martin Luther King's funeral



Still from the film “Glass”

The assassination of Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968 spurred a young Samuel L. Jackson to join the civil rights movement. While still in college, Samuel flew from Atlanta to Memphis for a few days to participate in a march in support of garbage workers. Returning to Atlanta, he volunteered at Martin Luther King's funeral.

“I remember seeing people like Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier. People I never thought I'd meet, let alone get to know one day. Memories of the funeral are one continuous blur.”

Samuel begged for a unique lightsaber for his role in Star Wars



Still from the film "Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith"

Jackson had always been a big Star Wars fan, so he instantly accepted the offer to play Jedi Mace Windu in the prequel trilogy. He had just one request for George Lucas: Samuel really wanted a purple lightsaber. Previously, weapons in Star Wars were strictly divided by color: blue or green swords for the Jedi, red for the Sith. However, Lucas reluctantly agreed to make an exception. Jackson commented on his unusual demand in an interview:

“We had a big arena, a battle with the Jedi or something. And I was like, damn, I want to be able to find myself in this big scene. So I said to George, “Do you think you could make me a purple lightsaber?”

He has his own wig consultant



Still from the movie "RoboCop"

In real life, Jackson is bald, but many of his characters have memorable hairstyles. Much of the credit goes to Robert L. Stevenson, a personal wig consultant and stylist who has worked with Jackson for many years and helped him select the looks for each film.

Directors have to work on Samuel's terms



Still from the film "The Banker"

Jackson calls himself a "strict foreman" for directors. The point is that in each contract the actor must indicate a list of special working conditions - and they are not discussed.

Samuel was most famous for his love of golf. No matter what movie he's starring in, his work schedule must include the opportunity to get out on the field with a stick at least twice a week. The paparazzi love this habit of Jackson, since the actor prefers to play golf in colorful outfits.

The actor played one of his roles so well that they returned his nomination at Cannes for his sake.



Still from the movie “Jungle Fever”

In 1991, the melodrama “Jungle Fever” by Spike Lee was released. At that time, Samuel L. Jackson, still not the most famous, played one of the minor characters in the film, Heitor Purify, and drove critics around the world crazy with his talent.

Jackson's acting was so subtle and impressive that he was awarded at many ceremonies. The organizers of the Cannes Film Festival even brought back the long-forgotten Best Supporting Actor award specifically to celebrate Samuel's work. Previously, this branch was awarded only three times.

He loves looking at his work



Still from the film “The Hateful Eight”

Many actors admit that they hate watching themselves on screen, so attending premiere screenings is something of a torture for them. For the same reason, they try to limit themselves to just one viewing of their own feeds. Samuel L. Jackson stands out in this regard - he loves to enjoy the results of his work. It’s not enough for him to just see a film with his own participation at the premiere - often after that he buys tickets for regular screenings in order to admire himself a couple of more times.

The actor admitted that the main regret of his youth was the lack of opportunity to look at his performance in productions from the outside.

“Even in my theatrical years, I dreamed of being able to watch productions with my participation - to see myself on stage! I love looking at my work.”

His wife is his main critic



Samuel L. Jackson met his future wife, LaTanya Richardson, in 1974, while both were attending different nearby colleges. They immediately started dating, got married in 1980 and have been living together ever since. Perhaps part of the secret to the couple's undying love lies in the fact that Latanya is not afraid to tell her husband the truth. Richardson is always brutally honest when assessing Samuel's work, even when she has a negative opinion.

Jackson's wife has repeatedly said that even with her husband's great talent, many of his works were “bloodless.” It took Samuel a long time to understand this criticism, but it eventually helped him improve his craft.

Samuel L. Jackson became famous at 45



Still from the movie "Pulp Fiction"

Despite the fame and influence that Samuel has in modern Hollywood, his career has been stalled for a long time. He studied theater in college, moved to New York, and spent a long time playing obscure roles.

Jackson's big breakthrough was the role of killer Jules Winnfield in the drama Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. With this film, the 45-year-old veteran actor finally became a household name. By the way, the director had no doubt about Samuel’s talent, since he created Jules Winnfield specifically for the actor. Jackson was touched by this.

“To know that someone like Jules was written specifically for me... I was shocked, grateful, clueless, the whole combination of what you can be, knowing that someone decided to give you an opportunity like that.”

2004 is the coolest year in the actor’s career



Still from the film "Amnesia"

Considering the number of roles Jackson has played, it is quite expected that not every work with his participation turned out to be a masterpiece or even just tolerable.

It so happened that in 2004, Samuel L. Jackson starred in both the most highly acclaimed and most critically criticized film of his career. The pinnacle was the animated film “The Incredibles” from Pixar, where Jackson voiced the superhero Frozone - the film had 97% positive reviews. Around the same time, the feature film “Amnesia” was released, also with Samuel’s participation - the detective thriller had only 1% positive reviews. It is not surprising that almost no one remembers the catastrophically disastrous film now.

Nick Fury's appearance in Marvel comics is copied from Samuel L. Jackson



Still from the movie "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

When it became known that Samuel L. Jackson would play superspy Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were many dissatisfied with the casting. The studio allegedly changed the character's race, because in the 1998 film Decapitate Hydra, Nick Fury was played by a white actor, David Hasselhoff.

The irony is that even before the casting of Samuel L. Jackson, his character Fury had long looked very similar to the actor in the Marvel comics. Moreover, the similarity turned out to be no coincidence: the creator of this version of the character, Mark Millar, admitted that he copied Fury from Jackson. The author apologized for his actions, to which Jackson replied:

“No, dude! Thank you for the contract for nine films!”