Samuel L. Jackson would “rather be Nick Fury” than win Oscars

Every time you think of Marvel’s Nick Fury or Star Wars’ Mace Windu, you immediately think of Samuel L. Jackson, and if he has his way, that’s never going to change. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Jackson explained why he prefers playing these kinds of popcorn roles over those that might, for example, get him Oscar nominations.

This thought crossed his mind after he won an honorary Oscar this past year at the 94th Annual Academy Awards. Jackson was given the award by his dear friend and longtime collaborator Denzel Washington. “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 […],” Jackson said.

Samuel L. Jackson has loved playing Nick Fury and Mace Windu

Jackson is very straightforward during this interview about the nature of chasing Oscar gold. “I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor,” he said. “My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies. You know: ‘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.”

I love how dedicated Jackson is to playing the types of characters that drew him to the movie theatre as a kid. If there is ever a source of motivation, that has to be it.

Apart from Nick Fury and Mace Windu, Jackson has had many other roles that basically exist to please crowds, including plenty that have spawned fan-favorite quotes. Case in point: Snakes on a Plane. That movie definitely didn’t put him in the running for an Oscar, but it sure did amuse people.

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h/t The A.V. Club