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Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee attend the after party for the screening of “Oldboy” hosted by FilmDistrict and Complex Media with the Cinema Society and Grey Goose at TAO Downtown on November 11, 2013, in New York City. (Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)
Samuel L. Jackson has always seemed like someone who will tell you what’s on his mind.
In a recent, long-ranging interview with Vulture, the 74-year-old actor detailed why he stopped working with filmmaker Spike Lee, whose 1991 drama Jungle Fever opened the door for the veteran actor, whose portrayal as drug addict Gator garnered critical acclaim, including an unprecedented supporting actor award at The Cannes Film Festival.
“Jungle Fever got me into Hollywood. The majority of Black people in America at that time, at a certain economic strata, had a Gator in their family.”
Jackson also acted in several of Lee’s earlier films—Do The Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, and School Daze—although a leading role in a “Spike Lee Joint” eluded him.
Yet, the two had a falling out over money. Jackson wasn’t as big as today, but he knew his worth. Jackson read for a role in Malcolm X, but we never saw him in the Denzel Washington-led biopic.
Source: Black Enterprise
