“I LEAD by example. I show up on time, I know my lines, I hit my marks.”
LOS ANGELES—Samuel Jackson predicted that “Django Unchained,” which reunites him with director Quentin Tarantino, may stir “some amount of controversy.” The fuss might come from Quentin’s take on racism and slavery in the revenge film, which is set two years before the US Civil War.
In our recent interview, Samuel also talked about his current film, “The Avengers,” where he plays Nick Fury, the director of a peacekeeping organization that assembles superheroes such as Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, and Captain America when Earth is threatened by an alien invasion.
Samuel dished out on his growing-up years and the strides black actors have made in Hollywood, and made teasing remarks about fellow actor Morgan Freeman. Below are excerpts from our chat:
Talk to us about “Django Unchained.”
I’ve known about this film for a very long time. I’m sorry I’m not 10 years younger so I could be Django (Jamie Foxx has the role). But that’s just how it is. But I have a good part. And it’s always great to be on a Quentin Tarantino film set. It’s exciting, laugh-filled, and full of discovery.
It’s just great to be back there and to have that kind of…I won’t say controversial, but very interesting dialogue about a very real subject that will probably be…(laughs) I don’t know. I’m sure there will be some amount of controversy when the film is released.
What is it like to work again with Quentin Tarantino?
Quentin and I are friends. We communicate through text, phone, and films. He’ll send me a film; I’ll send him a film. We laugh about things.
And just being in the same town (LA)… He still has his screenings every week—something old, new, or very unusual. Recently, we saw “The Raid: Redemption,” a film set in Indonesia. It was very good. The week before that, we saw “Billy Jack.” And before that, “Brotherhood of Blood.” We still do all that stuff.
Your character in “The Avengers” has to temper the egos of the people that he assembles. You’ve been on film sets with other personalities. Do you have to temper your ego, too?
I try to lead by example. I show up on time. I know my lines. I hit my marks. I talk to the grips, the camera crew, and the people at craft service. I try to treat everybody as important. We can’t get our work done unless they get their work done. We all need to be on the same page. We have to live harmoniously. I like movie sets. They should be fun. I try and let the other actors see how I interact with all the people who are around. Then I hope they follow that example.
How active are you in espousing causes?
JACKSON with Chris Evans (as Captain America) in “The Avengers”
I use my voice in my own way. I have a problem with actors spouting their opinions all the time. It’s just one person’s opinion. It shouldn’t sway somebody else. I don’t want to impose my will on somebody by saying, “I believe in this; I believe in that.” I do what I can behind the scenes. Or, on the edges, of what needs to be done. I try to do my part. If I go somewhere to do some charitable work, I don’t take a film crew with me so I can prove it. It’s enough for me to know that I did it. I don’t need anybody else to know.
Did you have motivation when you were a kid?
I had a strong family. They motivated me in various ways. This was way before a kid could pick up the phone, call the police or whomever and say, “They hit me.” It was part of growing up. Discipline was discipline. I understand that my parents had certain expectations. They told my teachers that I was supposed to achieve certain grade levels. I was supposed to study.
My job was to be the best person I could be in terms of getting my education and getting out of the situation I was in. I grew up in a lower-income family. They expected me to go to college and do all the things that I needed to do. I understood that. Sometimes I had to be motivated. They motivated me in whatever way they could. Sometimes it was through punishment; sometimes through enticement.
I learned the hierarchy of who was in charge early in my life. So I didn’t fight authority until I got to be a young adult and understood that there were other ways that I could use my voice, my will. But until then, my family were the people whom I wanted to impress. They were the people who took care of me. I wanted them to be proud of me. I didn’t want to do anything to embarrass them. They emphasized that to me through hugs, kisses, and sometimes slaps (laughs).
How do you think an alien looks like?
I don’t have a clue. I’ve watched horror movies all my life. There have been so many incarnations of aliens—big eyes and tentacles, gelatinous heads, or two heads, with green polka dots, or in orange, until George Lucas came along with “Star Wars.” I’m not one of those people who don’t believe there’s something else out there. We’re here. Why wouldn’t there be something else out there?
I totally think that we’re not the only life in the universe. But I’m not that anxious to run into it. I’ve driven on lonely highways in New Mexico and seen things zipping across the sky. I hoped that they didn’t stop over my car and turn on their lights! I’m not sure what aliens look like but I do believe they’re out there.
What do you love about your job?
The fact that I get a chance to get up and create something new every day. That I get to explore a condition of the human existence that is not normally mine. That it gives me a chance, even now while doing Quentin’s film, to explore the history of something that went on. That’s very real and palpable. Painters get up and paint every day. Writers get up and write.
I don’t understand the actor who does one movie a year. Last year, when I found myself with all this free time, I did a Broadway play, which was great. I like acting. It’s amazing that I have a job where I am part of the creative process and can entertain people at the same time.
What drives you?
The need to create. I can’t paint. I don’t do pictures that last forever. I can’t face the blank page every day because it’s daunting. But I have no fear of going out in front of people and making them laugh, cry, sigh, or scream. Allowing people to get away from their everyday lives—even if it’s only an hour and a half—and to take their minds off what bothers them is invaluable not just to them but to me.
Can you talk about the challenges of being black in Hollywood? Morgan Freeman told us the color of his skin impeded him in the early stages of his career.
The early stages of his career? He was already old. What are you talking about? That was his biggest impediment? What can we get this old dude to do? How much can he do? Can he kiss the girl? No, he’s too old to kiss the girl. I mean, I get that.
When I came to Hollywood, I was on the edge of that. I was over 40. You know it’s one of those weird kind of questions that I was asked in somewhere like Germany. Somebody would go, “When you, Morgan, Denzel (Washington), and Larry (Laurence Fishburne) get together, what do you talk about?” We don’t have black meetings! And there are other black actors in Hollywood. There’s a lot in fact. It’s kind of hard to get all of us together in one place because we’re so many.
The fact is that there are writers, directors, and producers—and everybody else that went to school with a diverse ethnic group of people—and they see the world in a totally different way from how the old filmmakers used to see it—if you had lawyers, cops, and doctors, they were all white people. If you had criminals, they were black, Hispanic, or whatever. That’s sort of changed. There’s a whole big ethnic group of people that work in this business and people make money off them.
There are some really great Asian directors that have made tons of money for various people. You don’t think of their ethnic origins. You think of them as filmmakers, actors, or whatever they are. There are more opportunities for actors of color to work, even in terms of directing, writing, and producing. We’re sort of everywhere now. So you open the door, and you see us everywhere. That’s what happens. That was the old guard’s fear and it was realized! We’re here to stay!
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