Throughout his 50-year career, Samuel L. Jackson has amassed an impressive collection of memorable roles. He has appeared in everything from character-driven dramas that push his acting abilities to their limits to blockbuster studio films that make for a good time at the multiplex. Surprisingly, Jackson’s efforts have yet to net him an Academy Award win (unless you count the “honorary” Oscar he received earlier this year). But fortunately, it isn’t something that Jackson himself is losing any sleep over.
Jackson’s sole brush with Oscar glory came in 1995, when he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Pulp Fiction. Although many actors spend their whole careers chasing that coveted golden statue, it sounds like Jackson isn’t one of them. He admitted as much while reflecting on his body of work in a new interview with The Los Angeles Times. Jackson also confessed that he prefers taking on action roles to awards season bait.
“I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor,” said Jackson. “My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies. You know [whispers]: ‘If you do this movie, you’ll win an Oscar.’ No, thanks. I’d rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand.”
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Jackson went on to acknowledge the escapism factor that studio films provide. They also give him the chance to deliver his signature one-liners.
“I want to do the stuff that made me want to go to the movies when I was a kid,” added Jackson. “I want to do that movie that people just want to see so they can get out of themselves. That’s the guy I chose to be and I’m fine with it. I’m satisfied because that’s who I am. I’m the guy who does the lines that people see on T-shirts. There’s actors who go their whole careers and no one can quote a line they’ve said in a movie. People go to watch my movies to see how crazy I’m going to be or see how many times I say motherf—. [Laughs] Whatever gets them in the seats.”
Whether or not Jackson’s Mace Windu will come back from the dead in a future Star Wars project remains to be seen. But in the meantime, fans can look forward to his next appearance as Nick Fury in Marvel’s Secret Invasion series, which will hit Disney+ sometime next year.
What do you think about Jackson’s remarks? Let us know in the comment section below!
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