July 26th 2023.
Samuel L. Jackson has always been known for speaking his mind. In a recent interview with Vulture, the 74-year-old actor detailed why he stopped working with filmmaker Spike Lee. Jackson's role as Gator in Lee's 1991 drama Jungle Fever opened the door for his Hollywood career, and he was recognized for his performance with an unprecedented award at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Jungle Fever got me into Hollywood," said Jackson. "The majority of Black people in America at that time, at a certain economic strata, had a Gator in their family." Jackson had appeared in several of Lee's earlier films, such as Do The Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, and School Daze, although a leading role in a "Spike Lee Joint" had eluded him.
The two had a falling out over money. Although Jackson had yet to reach his current level of fame, he knew his worth. Jackson read for a role in Malcolm X, but it never came to be.
"I actually read with most of the people who auditioned for Malcolm X," Jackson told Bilge Ebiri. "I was supposed to be the guy that turned Malcolm X on to Islam in prison. I forget who played that role. But it was still down to that Spike Lee scale-plus-10. I was like, 'I'm not going to work for no scale-plus-10."
Today, actors are going on strike for better pay and to make sure A.I. doesn't replace them. Jackson is not a fan of A.I. and has spoken about the dangers of it and his experience of working with the technology.
Jackson is currently in the latest Disney + Marvel offering, Secret Invasion, playing Nick Fury, a role he began playing in the 2008 blockbuster, Iron Man.
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