"For me, whether it's the main shot or the close-up,
My performances are all the same.
Because I'm here to perform, to move the story forward.
Not to achieve your sense of accomplishment. ”
Photo by Brian Bowen Smith
Interview/Author: Rebecca Sun
Styling: Kristen Ingersoll
Producer: Cezar Greif
Makeup: Autumn Moultrie
Costume Assistant: Erica Howard
Translator: Li Hanyi Yu Sheng
Editor: Xie Ruying
Editorial Assistant: Chen Yuwei
Venue Acknowledgements: Palihouse West Hollywood
It's often thought that Samuel Jackson should be this: cool, and probably a cool thing that kills you. This man is good at making all kinds of guns, and the only thing that can match this skill is his ability to poetically add all kinds of offensive words to the language. "When people say I'm the coolest man in the world, I say, it's not." Samuel in real life laughed. On this sunny August afternoon, at the Parry House hotel in West Hollywood, he finished filming, took off his funky attire and changed into comfortable shorts and a T-shirt. "The images in the movie are very different from the real me, after all, I don't make a living by killing people."
Samuel is a character creator who has played more than 140 screen characters and given a whole new life to each (at the age of 70, he shoots an average of 5 movies a year). "I try not to be limited by a solidified image." Samuel explained. From the stubborn addict in Jungle Fever, which broke through him in 1991 (his performance was so gripping that the Cannes Film Festival even set him the first "Best Supporting Actor" award just so that he could win it), to the characters who became indelible symbols of popular culture – the killer Jules in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (the film earned him a British Academy Award and an Oscar nomination), the Jedi master Mace Windu in the Star Wars trilogy, And Nick Fury (the Avengers initiator) throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he always treats every character with the same attitude: always curious and never ignoring every detail.
He would push through the limitations of the script and explore and study all levels of the character's life, "I know if the character has siblings, knows his parents' previous experiences, and even knows what he usually likes to eat," Samuel said, "The agent always says that the biggest problem I have when I work is that I want everyone to be as well prepared as I am, because I will do all my homework at home." ”
This professional ethic may be one of the reasons Samuel Jackson has always maintained success. According to the data, he is the world's most successful actor, and his films have generated more than $16.7 billion in global box office revenue. At a time when most people are retired or considering whether to retire, he appeared in three Marvel movies in 2019 alone, each of which grossed more than $1 billion (Avengers: Endgame even broke Avatar's 10-year-long champion box office record with a super high box office of more than $2.8 billion).
By observing Samuel's performance on the set of Esquire, you will also find another factor in the evergreen of his acting career, that is, enthusiasm. In front of the camera, he is perfect and professional, and outside the camera, he is happy and relaxed, joking with the stylist from time to time, begging her not to leave herself behind to make up for others. Unlike other actors who claim not to look at their own work, Samuel enjoyed watching the films he starred in, as well as watching the works of other actors. He watched movies, television works, and read books in large quantities. "I observe other people's creative processes and inspire myself in a new way." he said.
What's next for Samuel? As usual, several of his projects have already reached different stages: "The Banker," a historical film scheduled by Apple VIDEO platform Apple TV+, which tells the story of America's first black banker, a sequel to "The Hitman's Bodyguard," which was paired with Ryan Reynolds twice, and Spinning, a biopic that recreates 1970s music Gold) starred as George Clinton, a legendary figure in Funk music. Samuel also mentioned that there are two more genres he hasn't tried yet: magical movies like Harry Potter and murderous maniac movies, "I like both of them very much," he admits. That wish will soon come true: Samuel has decided to join the reboot of Chainsaw Horror, in which he plays Chris Locke's father.
It seems time to let Samuel go home and prepare for the next movie role.
August 2019 Los Angeles, USA
"My performance is not limited to expressing my true self"
Esquire (hereinafter referred to as "ESQ"): You have appeared in more than 140 films, what was the decisive factor in your choice of films?
Samuel Jackson ( "SJ"): Probably I didn't have anything else to do at the time, haha. If I come across an opportunity to create interesting characters, I'll consider it. Sometimes it's because I came across a movie I loved when I was a kid and no one ever gave me the opportunity to star in one of those movies. During my time in a play, I would often attend an interview for another while starring in one play and rehearse for the third. Because there are so many performance opportunities in a person's life. Rather than worrying about where my next job will be, I'd rather try to identify my next job while starring in each work. It makes me feel more secure in the creative process.
ESQ: What jobs would you turn down?
SJ: Some stories related to racial themes. Because I've acted. There are some areas of this that I don't want to try again. I think artists have the right to express themselves, but I think I think that I should think carefully and thoughtfully from the perspective of a wider group of people when it comes to how to tell the story of a particular culture. The stories of different races should be told by people of different races themselves. At one point, there was a lack of actors from these races in the acting world, but now it's different. In this day and age, I can already ask questions that I couldn't ask before, such as, why not look for actors from a particular culture? Everyone deserves the opportunity to tell their own story. From this point of view, I can understand the meaning of "cultural appropriation".
In the past, movies made by mainstream culture must have been about mainstream culture, and people from other cultures were on the margins. Now, the writer or director can prop up the whole story with people of the same race and culture as them— blacks, whites, Asians, Spaniards, Russians, etc. The world has become a huge melting pot that gives people many ways to tell stories that were previously impossible to tell.
ESQ: In the nearly half-century of your career, how has the entertainment industry changed due to increasing diversification? What does this change look like off-screen?
SJ: The change is not as obvious as you might think. It's true that more women have started their own studios than before, and one or two blacks can decide whether a movie will go live or not, but even in this context, diversity hasn't been a major trend.
But compared to my time as an actor in New York as a young man, the film industry as a whole has changed. The Chinese films I could see at that time were all from Shaw Films. I would go to the 42nd Street cinema for a day, because one dollar can see almost three movies.
Then I found that there were a lot of Chinese film production companies around me, and I was obsessed with actors like Yang Ziqiong, Zhou Runfa, and Jackie Chan. Later, I had the opportunity to meet them — two weeks ago, I met Yang Ziqiong in Toronto, who was working on Star Trek, and I was a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival with Wong Kar-wai. I'm familiar with these people and we often talk about movies together.
I know many film practitioners from Chinese, Korean, Thai and other cultural backgrounds. Although I haven't had the opportunity to work in those places yet, I'm eager to do so. These filmmakers can make films in their countries, which establish their unique identities. Although there may not be characters in the films they make that suit me, it doesn't stop me from appreciating and understanding these works, because these films are still telling people's situations in different environments in a very realistic way, just narrating from their point of view.
ESQ: You were obsessed with art from an early age and decided to major in theatre at university. Did you imagine your career at the time?
SJ: In my mind, theater or acting is no different than any other job: you first find a most elementary position in the theater and then work for a while. If you're lucky, you might take on a commercial and give you some exposure; if you're luckier, you might get a role in a soap opera or TV show; if you do it well enough, you might become a movie star.
ESQ: At that time, did you think about what would become of your career if you were lucky?
SJ: When you start working hard in a certain area and succeeding, there are a lot of unexpected things that happen. I used to have to put on my own makeup when I was performing in theaters, but now I need a makeup artist; before I took care of my own costumes, now I have costume suppliers and stylists; sometimes my motorhome is bigger than my first apartment in New York. So if someone asks me if I ever dreamed of something like this happening, I would say, no. I didn't know what my dream was or how great it would be.
ESQ: How has honor and success changed your life?
SJ: When you're no longer obscure, the world will naturally be very different, so face the world that's changing every day in a different way. You can no longer get up and do your daily work as you used to, but think about where to go today and whether you need someone to accompany you. But I don't usually see myself as a filmmaker, Samuel Jackson, but rather sam Jackson doing a fun job. Despite the turbulence around me, I was not alarmed. I would walk out of the hotel and walk around. When people see the real me, they may think, "Wow, he's just an ordinary person." "Because no bodyguard will push them away." If someone asks me to take a picture, I will accept it. But most of the time I wear headphones so I can't hear what they're saying, and maybe they think I don't want to hear it (laughs).
ESQ: What about when you're abroad?
SJ: I've traveled almost all over Beijing and have probably been recognized twice. Once in Tiananmen Square, and once recognized by a Russian. But that's not what you can do in Tokyo. People know me, but out of respect they don't come near me. When I was in Germany, people chased me. In London, people may recognize me again, but I won't stop and act like a shark. Because as long as you keep walking, people won't come to stop you and pester you.
ESQ: What advice do you have for people who aspire to achieve success like you?
SJ: I don't know what people really want. A lot of people are chasing fame and fortune, posting all kinds of videos on YouTube, accumulating a little fame, and then thinking they can perform. They simply don't realize that acting is hard work, a skill, not something you can do when you wake up and want to. If you want to be pure in acting, you must learn the doorway.
So if someone says, "I like your work," it's more proud than "God, I like you so much" or "I like Nick Fury." Because expressions like "I like your work" mean that they pay attention to what I'm doing, and in their eyes, my performance isn't limited to expressing my true self.
ESQ: Isn't it limited to making a popular movie?
SJ: I've been lucky enough to have acted in quite popular movies. I've made many interesting choices, and sometimes I've been chosen. A lot of things happen when you feel inexplicable. Once in London, I was on a talk show. Someone asked me, "Which directors are you've never worked with but would especially like to work with?" "I said, George Lucas. Lucas called me when he heard about it and said, "I want to meet you." "Then I took on Mace Windu in Star Wars.
The movie Jurassic Park is the same. I went to audition and ended up getting the role of Roy Ahmed, and there was the much-talked about "Sit your ass!" (Samuel's improvised line in the play, meaning "Ready!") ”）。 After that, the "Marvel Universe" came in and signed a deal with me for 9 movies. I was like, wow, how long am I going to live to make 9 movies? What I didn't know at the time was that they were planning to finish all nine of these films in a year and a half (laughs).
In addition to this, I will choose to take on works that make me happy. Because I like the popular movies I make, people will subconsciously want to see other movies I make. They'll think they like the movies I've made, and as long as I make them, they must like them.
"Acting is not about achieving your sense of accomplishment"
ESQ: Of the hundreds of roles you've played, which roles do you think help people become your fans?
SJ: Every year, five or six million children grow up and they will have the opportunity to watch Pulp Fiction for the first time. Because of this special movie, I can gain five or six million new fans every year. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I learn that one of my works could become a classic that transcends time. At the same time, with the release of Quentin's new book "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," there will be an entire generation of young people who want to discover Quentin's previous works simply because they have seen the film — such as Django Unchained or Dangerous Relationship (aka Jackie Brown) and so on, because they were children when these films were released.
So people will find you, or get to know you again. Online video platforms also play a role in fueling the waves. The other day I was looking through various channels and suddenly heard someone singing in the song, "Brilliant, Samuel Jackson." "What is this?" Then I realized that it was the lyrics of a song called "Samuel Jackson" from the soundtrack of the "Counter Terrorist SWAT Team S.W.A.T." movie soundtrack. I reckon that somewhere in the world at this moment, someone must be watching this movie.
For those kids who play sports, their parents often show them the movie I played in, Coach Carter. Parents want them to learn about the meaning of victory and defeat, and the role of education for athletes. I'm proud that the films I've starred in resonate for a certain amount of time.
ESQ: Some viewers may have known you through Nick Fury, Ice Skater, or some of the other popular characters. For them, what more would you recommend?
SJ: A lot. For example, "Red Violin". The film is a touching epic: a red violin in the hands of different countries and people, and the character I played happened to be the appraiser of the violin. Killing Hour is also a classic. There's also Agent Crazy Flower, which was the first film to create a superhero image, but at the time people didn't know how to appreciate it, or the producers didn't market it. I would also like to recommend 187 American Social Archives, a film that delves into the education system and its impact on teachers and students in violent school environments. There's also Midsummer Night Rose, which tells an interesting story that takes place between generations of women in a black family in Louisiana. People should watch more movies like this.
ESQ: Many of the characters were tailored to you or inspired by you, such as Jules in Pulp Fiction and Nick Fury in the Marvel movies. How do you feel when someone says they tailor a character for you?
SJ: It was a feeling of some trepidation and a little bit of dizziness. I'm very happy that people tailor characters to me based on their imaginary abilities, and I always come across scripts like this. After Pulp Fiction, I starred in several films that were considered "the next Pulp Fiction," but none of them continued to be a continuation of Pulp Fiction. I, on the other hand, have always tried not to get myself into a situation where I am labeled with a fixed image.
ESQ: Which role do you play that is most different from your real self in your life?
SJ: All the roles I've played are very different from my own. I don't kill people for a living (laughs), I'm boring, I love to read, I love to watch TV, I love to travel. I think I'm a boring, stereotypical person, so when people say I'm "the coolest person in the world," I say "it's not." Because these roles are completely different from the real me, playing these roles is very challenging for me.
ESQ: So how did you fit into the character in this case?
SJ: In Killing Hour, I play a father who faces charges for killing the criminal who raped his daughter. As a father, I wonder what I would do if this happened to my own children. You will feel a certain level of anger and pain and incorporate them into the performance. Jungle Fever was my turning point into Hollywood. I had just been on drug rehab for two weeks when I made this movie, so to play the drug addicted Gator, I didn't even need makeup. But I chose a different and unique way to shape him: he was not only addicted to drugs, but also used his family's connections, cunning, but at the same time very loving to his family. In the era when the film was released, there was a gate in almost every family who hated iron and steel: a father would steal his children's Christmas presents and tell them that Santa Claus decided not to give them gifts because they were mischievous during the year. People empathize with this role because every family may have had similar hand-in-hand relatives. What I want to do is to discover and evoke people's unique feelings and memories, and resonate with the audience.
One of the things I've learned on stage is that your performance on stage should be gripping, so that when you leave the stage, people want to follow you to see what you're going to do next. Every shot in the film is carefully designed, so every time I appear, I want to clearly convey what this shot is going to say through my performance, so as to guide the audience to the next plot. Sometimes the actor may struggle, do I look good enough? What about the lights? Is it a close-up shot now? For me, whether it's the main shot or the close-up, my performance is the same. Because I'm here to perform, to move the story forward, not to achieve my sense of accomplishment.
Acting is something that makes me "willing to get up early every day."
ESQ: There aren't many actors like you who shoot an average of 5 plays a year. How do you stay in shape?
SJ: Do you mean physically? I'm more particular about what I eat and how I eat. I do massages or acupuncture twice a week and try to do Pilates twice a week. I would go golf in the morning when I wasn't working. I can say that I am in health. I used to be a vegetarian for about nine months, but I didn't keep going because I lost my weight so quickly and I almost lost my job. I thought, if I don't come back with more meat, I will be fired. So I immediately ate a hamburger (laughs).
ESQ: What about the creative side? How do you recharge your batteries?
SJ: Reading, watching TV, watching movies, the more the merrier. I observe the creative processes of others and inspire myself in innovative ways. I'd think, "Oh my God! I want to do it too," or "I can't help but want to try it this way too." We've been "stealing" inspiration from each other, trying to achieve the same goal in a different way than last time. I also watch movies from other cultures and find similarities in different cultures, such as how to care for myself, how to take care of others, how to get along with my family, how to set goals for my children or myself, and what obstacles to overcome. So, the next time I'm in a particular environment, I wonder if I can interpret it from a perspective outside of American culture, feel it in a different way, and see what kind of state this way can bring me and the character into. So I experiment at home, blending everything I read and see, and figuring out how to play the role before I get on set.
ESQ: What's the secret of your acting career?
SJ: Agents always say that the biggest problem with my work is that I want everyone to be as well prepared as I am, because I myself will do all my homework at home. I would read through the entire script and sort out my relationship with each character: Why do I like this character? Why don't you like that character? I do this whenever I get a complete image created by myself for a character. If I had background material, I would read it beforehand to see how the shoot would progress and how the plot would unfold.
Therefore, when I came to the shooting scene, I formed a plump and complete character image in my heart. I know if the character has siblings, knows what his parents have had before, and even knows what he usually eats. I probably wouldn't have to say it all, and I wouldn't necessarily show it all during filming, but it was very important information for the actor to really fit into the world of the character. When the director says "stop", I can go back to the real world and do my own thing, and when they say "start shooting" again, I can immediately get into the state. I was able to do all this because I was familiar with every page of the script and planned it from start to finish.
ESQ: Looking back at past works, what do you think was the most creative film you've ever made? Why?
SJ: Captain Marvel. Because of the reverse growth in the film and the magical role that digital elements play in the heroine's previous and later identities. George Lucas was the first director to use a digital camera. This put me at the forefront of digital technology when I was filming Star Wars. In making this film, we had to learn to perform without physical objects and real backgrounds. It wasn't hard for me because I was an only child and I spent much of my childhood reading or imagining. So when the director says, "Imagine what kind of people or things are coming at you," I turn into Errol Flynn and raise my lightsaber. The same is true when filming the Marvel series of movies. Some actors hate acting in front of a green screen, but I'm different because I've been fighting fantasies in my head since I was a kid.
ESQ: What other roles or types would you like to explore?
SJ: There are so many stories in the world that have not yet been told, there are a vast sea of things that need to be discovered, and there are many things that I like but have not yet tried. I love killer movies, but I never get a chance. The reason I wanted to try this type of film was simple, was that I liked it. I also wanted to see what I looked like in a magic movie, the Harry Potter genre. There are so many roles I want to try to play.
I'll probably be back on stage next year because my wife is directing a play on Broadway and wants me to be a part of it. How could I say no, right (laughs)? I'll find another movie to do later, because I just love acting. My daughter once asked me how to choose a career, and I replied, "Find something that makes you want to get up early every day." "For me, acting is like that.
This article was published by Tree Project co-author Mr. Fashion
Producer: New pants
Execution: Minor