Roles We Love: Samuel L. Jackson

Hollywood Journal

The Hollywood Reporter rounded up some of Samuel L. Jackson’s most memorable roles.

Transcript

00:00From Pulp Fiction to the MCU, here are eight roles we love from Samuel L. Jackson.

00:07One of Jackson's earliest memorable roles is 1990's Jungle Fever.

00:12What many consider his breakout role, Jackson played a crack cocaine addict in the film

00:16about the tumultuous affair between a black architect, played by Wesley Snipes,

00:21and a white secretary, played by Annabella Shora.

00:24Jackson's role earned him massive praise and earned him a Best Supporting Actor award

00:28at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

00:31I really hate having to resort to knocking elderly people in the head for their money,

00:36but I'll do it. I'll do it. You know I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll do it.

00:43In 1994 came the film that truly put Jackson on the map of Hollywood stardom

00:48and international success, Pulp Fiction.

00:51Jackson collaborated with Quentin Tarantino and starred opposite John Travolta,

00:55Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis, among others, in the cult classic about two hitmen,

01:00a boxer, a gangster, and his wife, all dealing with interwoven stories of crime and deception

01:05in Los Angeles in the 90s.

01:07The film produced many iconic scenes still referenced today,

01:11and earned Jackson his first Oscar nomination and BAFTA win.

01:14We got into this thing with the best intentions, really. I never...

01:18Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?

01:23I didn't mean to do that.

01:24Please, continue.

01:26In 1996, Jackson starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill,

01:32about a father put on trial for killing two men who raped his daughter.

01:36The role earned him an NAACP Image Award

01:39and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

01:42A fair sentence.

01:43Do you think they deserve to die, Mr. Haley?

01:45Answer the question.

01:46Do you think they deserve to die?

01:48Yes, they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!

01:51A year later, Jackson reunited with Tarantino for 1997's Jackie Brown.

01:56Based on the book Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard,

01:59Jackson starred alongside a notable cast that included Michael Keaton and Robert De Niro.

02:03The film follows a flight attendant with a criminal past

02:07who gets caught by the ATF for smuggling

02:09and is asked to become an informant for the drug dealer she works for.

02:14I can get your lawyer.

02:15No, let's be realistic.

02:17Now, sooner or later, they're gonna get around to offering me a plea deal,

02:20and you know that.

02:22That's why you came here to kill me.

02:24I ain't come over here to kill you.

02:25It's okay.

02:26In 2000, Jackson re-teamed with his frequent scene partner Bruce Willis

02:30in M. Night Shyamalan's sci-fi suspense thriller Unbreakable.

02:34Jackson plays a cunning comic book collector who befriends Willis' character,

02:39but in a twist ending is revealed to have committed mass murder

02:42in order to explain his brittle bone disease, which leaves him in a wheelchair.

02:47If there is someone like me in the world, and I am at one end of the spectrum,

02:52couldn't that be someone else opposite of me at the other end?

02:55Someone who doesn't get sick, who doesn't get hurt like the rest of us.

03:01And he probably doesn't even know it.

03:04The kind of person these stories are about.

03:09In 2005, Jackson starred in the biopic Coach Carter.

03:13Jackson played the title character, a tough-as-nails high school basketball coach

03:16who made headlines when he made the controversial move to bench his entire team

03:21with an undefeated record in order to raise their academic records.

03:26If you listen and learn, you will win basketball games.

03:30And gentlemen, winning in here is the key to winning out there.

03:35Jackson once again teamed up with his frequent collaborator Tarantino

03:39for the filmmaker's most successful film to date, 2012's Django Unchained.

03:44Jackson definitely showcased his versatility and wide acting range

03:47in his supporting role as Steven, the house servant to Leonardo DiCaprio's slave owner.

03:53The part provided both a masterclass in acting

03:55and an almost unrecognizable physical transformation from the actor.

03:59Why is you lying to me?

04:04Lying.

04:05Then why is you crying?

04:08You're scaring me.

04:09And finally, there's Jackson's entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe,

04:14appearing in a total of 11 films for the studio.

04:17The actor played Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.,

04:19who created and formed the original Avengers Initiative,

04:23which goes on to become the MCU as we know it today.

04:26In addition to the Marvel films,

04:28he also appeared in the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

04:31and will reprise his role in the upcoming film The Marvels

04:34and the Disney Plus series Secret Invasion.

04:36You don't think we've wiped your clearance from the system?

04:39I know you erased my password.

04:41Probably deleted my retinal scan.

04:44But if you want to stay ahead of me, Mr. Secretary,

04:48you need to keep both eyes open.

04:54And then, of course, there were memorable roles in films like Jurassic Park,

04:59Changing Lanes, The Hateful Eight, Snakes on a Plane, and so many more.

05:03The actor in 2022 earned his first Oscar and Honorary Academy Award

05:08for his massive contribution to the film industry.

05:11For more on Samuel L. Jackson and other roles we love,

05:14keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.

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