Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.Photo: Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
Samuel L. Jacksonis happy with how his career has panned out.
The Marvel actor, 73, reflected on his decades-long career in an interview withTheLos Angeles Timespublished Tuesday where he talked about receiving anhonorary Oscarat the Governors Awards this year during the non-televised ceremony.
“As jaded as I wanted to be about it, you know thinking, ‘Well, I should have won an Oscar for this or should have won for that and it didn’t happen,’ once I got over it many years ago, it wasn’t a big deal for me. I always have fun going tothe Oscars,” he said. “I always look forward to getting a gift basket for being a presenter. [Laughs] I give stuff to my relatives; my daughter and my wife would take stuff out. It’s cool.”
Despite appearing in more than 150 films throughout his lifetime, the actor had never been awarded an Oscar for one of his performances. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 1995 Academy Awards for his role inPulp Fiction.
Mike Coppola/Getty
He told theLA Timesthat he has decided to measure his career — and its successes — in other ways that have nothing to do with the award.
“I was never going to letthe Oscarsbe a measure of my success or failure as an actor. My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies,” he said. “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.”
Prior to this year’s Oscars ceremony, Jackson toldthe U.K.‘sThe Sunday Times, “I should have won that one,” of hisPulp Fictionnod, also listing his performance in 1991’sJungle Feveras worthy of awards.
“I guess Black folk usually win for doing despicable s— onscreen. Like Denzel [Washington] for being a horrible cop inTraining Day. All the greatstuff he did in uplifting roles likeMalcolm X? No — we’ll give it tothismotherf—-r. So maybe I should have won one.”
“But,” Jackson added, “Oscars don’t move the comma on your check — it’s about getting asses in seats and I’ve done a good job of doing that.”
source: people.com
