Samuel L. Jackson Interview

By: Katey Rich

Wednesday September 17, 2008

Sam-u-el mutha f*@king Jackson
There's not much that's better than sitting down to talk to Samuel L. Jackson, who never seems afraid to say exactly what he thinks. But then, there's not much worse than realizing afterwards that your recorder cut out halfway through. But that's how it went when I talked to the Lakeview Terrace star earlier this week-- the recorder died right as he had started to talk about working with his old friend Bernie Mac on Soul Men, describing how Mac would "entertain the troops" after the scene had wrapped-- "Bernie never met a microphone he didn't like," as Jackson put it.

But hey, the recorder did hang on to Jackson's description of a Japanese ceremony to bless his Afro-Samurai project, which included the oldest geishas in Japan. And we also talked about his role in Lakeview Terrace, a racist cop frequently on the wrong side of the law, who Jackson says can still be sympathetic. Lakeview Terrace comes out this Friday; check out what he has to say about it below.


Do you ever bring any of your characters home at the end of the day?

This stays at work. They don't hang out with me. Actually they stay on set, mostly. I don't take them to my set. You just kind of let the rest of it go. Hopefully you've developed a relationship between you and the other actors; you like each other enough that, no matter how far you go in a scene, at the end you can look at each other and laugh and say "I think we've got it."

Do you see this movie as a psychological portrait of your character, or more of a story about the corruption possible in the police force?

It's more of a character study, I guess, of one guy and how he feels. Abel's opinion about people is totally informed by the fact that he's a street cop. He doesn't think that much of his fellow man. He has a very specific way he wants his community to be, and he has a very specific idea about how he wants to raise his kids. When these two people move in next door, they threaten those ideals in a very specific way. I was trying to craft a character where you see there's a human being in there, a nice, guy who's trying to do something positive with his kid. Sometimes he's right.

Can we expect more films from you along the lines of Lakeview Terrace?

I read what comes across my desk. If it's a story that I find interesting, great. I don't necessarily look for things that are social commentaries, or I don't necessarily look for, "OK, I've got to find a comedy. I've got to find an action comedy." I just read what's there. When I finish doing the film, whatever film's ready to do after that, I do. It's not a plan.

What types of movies do you enjoy watching in your spare time? Any recent favorites?

I watch more Asian films than I watch anything. I watch Hong Kong films, I watch Korean films, I watch Thai films. There's something about Asian films that I like. I own maybe thousands of Asian films.

Are there any Asian directors that you want to work with?

I've had meetings with a few of those guys, and talked to them about their films. Some of the Korean guys are really, really good. They have some character-driven films, so I'd like to work with them.

Is that a priority for you? Character-driven films?

No, not really. Just going to work is a priority.



Do fans talk to you mostly about bad guys that you've played?

No, not necessarily. It depends. There are people who talk to me about Pulp Fiction. There are legions of Star Wars fans to refer to me as Master Windu. There are older black people who really like A Time To Kill. Kids like Star Wars and The Incredibles. I'm kind of moving through a lot of different fan bases.

Can you talk about Afro Samurai?

Somehow Bob, the creator, found a way to get his homemade DVD to me. He had done this DVD at home, he'd done the animation and put this hip-hop music to it. One of my favorite movies for years was the Baby Cart series, and Afro fit right into that framework. Once I agreed to do it, and I started to talk to the people at Gonzo who had it. I went over to Tokyo and sat down with them, sat in a room with them. They were kind of amazed that I knew so much about samurai culture and the sword fighting and story structure. We actually sat in a room and watched an episode. It was really just a fascinating process. We had a big ceremony where we blessed the project. We all dressed as samurai, we were in a traditional structure that was made of all wood.

You had a samurai costume?

Yes I did. We went over there in rickshaws, the whole deal. I think they had the oldest geishas in Japan.

Do you ever think about your legacy? Do you take roles in hope they'll be remembered?

I do it because I like doing what I do. I like acting. Actors act. There are only so many acting opportunities in a lifetime. If I have a job that's there, I do it.

When did you know you wanted to be an actor?

I guess when I did Threepenny Opera in college. I took that public speaking class, and the guy said he didn't have enough guys, and he'd give us extra credit to do a play. Opening night, you go out there and you get your first applause, or your first reaction from an audience, it's like "wow."

Would you do stage work now?

I go to plays, and I look at them. My wife is doing a play, she's going to Broadway. She's doing Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. It's hard to buy gas for the Mercedes on a theater salary.