Recently, Samuel L. Jackson shut down my Twitterverse after dragging Justice Clarence Thomas for his recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The salty-sweet tweet took me down memory lane and reminded me why I'm the biggest fan of this shameless movie star.
How’s Uncle Clarence feeling about Overturning Loving v Virginia??!!
It was the 2007 Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, California. To my surprise, one of the greatest actors in the history of the film game was playing, and I was his biggest fan. It just so happened that I also had my BAD MOTHERFUCKER (from Pulp Fiction) wallet at the time. But alas, I was too afraid to approach Samuel L. Jackson for fear of upsetting him and never got it signed.
As his biggest fan, that moment was one of my greatest regrets. So, to make it up to me from 15 years ago, I'm going to convince you that Samuel L. Jackson is the baddest MF on the movie screen — here's 17 reasons why.
1. Young Sam Jackson was an usher at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral. As a college student, he traveled to Memphis following King's assassination and became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. This moment began his journey as an activist and possibly amplified his voice into the unabashed actor he is today.
2. Samuel L. Jackson takes his golf game so seriously that he has a special clause in his contracts allowing "leisure time" to play golf. I bet there's no argument here since Sam Jackson holding a nine iron can be pretty convincing.
3. Over the years, Sam Jackson didn't just portray fashionable characters on the silver screen. The man is a well-dressed icon on all occasions. No matter the decade or latest fashion trend, you can expect him to always to rock the classic Kangol hat and rock it well.
4. The Cannes Film Festival revived an acting award for the Best Supporting Actor to honor his portrayal in Spike Lee's sexually charged drama, Jungle Fever (1991). Jackson performed as a struggling drug addict alongside Halle Berry in two minor roles that propelled them into Academy Award-winning megastars.
5. King Kong ain't got nothing on Sam Jackson. No actor works harder at promoting his films, as shown when he spread the word about his appearance in the MonsterVerse franchise's Kong: Skull Island. He hilariously went full gangster on King Kong over social media. No job is too big or too small for his acting career.
6. Samuel L. Jackson is one of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood. Being at the top is no surprise considering he's part of some of the highest-earning franchises of all time — the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, MonsterVerse, The Incredibles, XXX, and Unbreakable.
7. He loves his work so much that when asked if he watches his films, he replies, "Yes, I do. Religiously." To double down on his brand of confidence, he added that when he's at home channel surfing and nothing's on, he searches for Samuel L. Jackson movies. Don't expect an ounce of doubt about his natural badassness.
8. He dares to be different. He didn't care that Star Wars lore states Jedi have blue and green lightsabers and the Sith have red. He forced the production to have it his way. Jackson convinced George Lucas to give him purple instead. It's not by accident that Mace Windu was one of the strongest Jedi in the universe.
9. Unlike actors who respond with answers like "I don't watch myself perform," Jackson was more than happy to rate his top five favorite characters. He's just as excited about his roles on screen as we are. As he should be, considering they're all certified bosses in their own right. His favorite of all time: Mitch Hennessy from A Long Kiss Goodnight. I agree, Sam.
10. SPOILER ALERT: When test audiences angrily responded to the ending to A Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), they complained, "you can't kill Sam Jackson." The production took this to heart, and the movie was re-edited where his character Mitch Hennessy survives instead. The character appears on Larry King Live right before the end credits. This is star-power, ladies and gentlemen.
11. He knows how to honor his past. Uma Thurman, John Travolta, and Samuel L. Jackson reunited at the 2022 Oscars for the 28th anniversary of Pulp Fiction. The critically-acclaimed cult film is a masterclass of cinema pairing together some of Hollywood's biggest A-listers. What should've been a legendary reunion for audiences became overshadowed by the shocking moment between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
12. In another moment of movie productions doing things the Sam Jackson way, he convinced the team of a ridiculous 2006 action-thriller not to change the movie's title to Pacific Flight 121. It's a terrible title. He insisted on keeping the unforgettable working-title Snakes on a Plane — the rest of the memes are history.
13. Jimmy Fallon should've never shown Mr. Jackson the power of a perfectly-timed tweet. He doesn't hold back even when the dig involves the former president of the United States.
I guess that Busted Condom passing as POTUS forgot to pack any thoughts & prayers for California for that trip to Paris. Let’s just drop the TU & get real!!!
14. Over the years, my favorite leading man tweeted 57 ways to spell "mother fucker" because he's a creative genius, and words are his weapon.
15. You can't sensor Samuel L. Jackson. In almost every television appearance, he finds the opportunity to belt out at least one expletive. On Saturday Night Live, he "accidentally" dropped the f-bomb with no remorse. When Kenan Thompson tried to de-escalate the situation, Jackson doubled down.
16. He's the master of interview clap backs. Once, a reporter embarrassingly mixed him up with Laurence Fishburne, known for The Matrix's Morpheus (similar to Nick Fury). He asked Jackson about a Super Bowl commercial that starred Fishburne, and Jackson didn't miss a beat calling him out.
17. But, the #1 clap back was when interviewer Jake Hamilton asked Jackson about the controversy over the "n-word" in Django Unchained. The response was a priceless moment that made me laugh for the culture and cringe for the internet simultaneously. Jackson insisted he say the word.
