Bloopers That Make Us Love Samuel L. Jackson Even More
Grandmas and grandpas are objectively great, but there's not necessarily cool. We should all be so lucky to be as hip, awesome and vital as Samuel L. Jackson is in his 70s. The beloved actor is among the hardest-working and most frequently cast performers in Hollywood, as much for his talent, panache, and unique takes on roles as he is for his bankability.
He's a franchise player in a staggering number of big series, from Mr. Glass in the Unbreakable movies to Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels to Frozone in two Incredibles entries, and, of course, Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's also a frequent collaborator with Quentin Tarantino, who directed him to an Oscar nomination in Pulp Fiction. Jackson is a welcome presence in any movie, and he even made potential dreck like Snakes on a Plane watchable. He always follows his instincts, and sometimes that leads to some outrageous bloopers and outtakes, both for himself and his co-stars. Here are some times when Samuel L. Jackson cut loose.
Nick Fury's mild annoyance
Marvel's many Avengers and Avengers-adjacent movies are loaded with great costumes. It must cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to outfit the actors playing Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor with costumes that evoke the ones familiar to audiences from the comics, but which also look true to life and that actors can wear while running, jumping, and hanging from wires. But the best outfit in the entirety of the MCU just might be the signature look of Avengers front office guy Nick Fury.
The guy traipses around the world in black boots, a black leather duster, and an eyepatch. Most people don't have the gravitas or self-confidence to pull this look off, but Samuel L. Jackson does; that had to have been a factor in his casting. The clothes make the man, and in this case they imbue into Jackson a quiet, steely resolve, which comes across in this failed sequence from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Co-star Scarlett Johansson leaves frame the wrong way and moves a little too far, prompting a look of exasperation and some mildly cutting comments from Jackson.
Fighting to get a fight right
The Hitman's Bodyguard was a welcome career detour for both of its stars, Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Both spend most of their time these days in superhero movies — as Deadpool in the Deadpool series and Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, respectively. But then in 2017 came this buddy action movie, a throwback to comedy-laced eye-popping spectacles like Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour. Incorporating Reynolds' gifts for sarcasm and self-deprecation with Jackson well in his wheelhouse playing a hardened tough guy with a sketchy past, The Hitman's Bodyguard is almost non-stop car chases, shootouts, and rough-and-tumble fistfights.
The latter are apparently as much fun to shoot as they are to watch, despite the heavy fight choreography required. But people make mistakes. While engaging in fictional fisticuffs with a costar, Jackson seems to accidentally elbow his combatant right in the forehead. And that event is, apparently, hilarious.
It's the Jedi's way to goof around
The Star Wars movies are fantastic, of course, and even the much-maligned prequels have their merits. One of the high points of the pre-New Hope rise of Darth Vader stories is the always compelling Samuel L. Jackson as a Jedi master. Not only did he get to have one of the most Star Wars-y name in all of Star Wars with "Mace Windu," but he also got to wield a lightsaber with a purple beam (which he asked George Lucas if he could have).
Clearly, it was both a lifelong dream and a fun lark for Jackson to get to be in a Star Wars movie, let alone three. He seemed to enjoy himself on the set of Revenge of the Sith, even after multiple takes of the same scene. In this Sith sequence, Jackson had to fall backward, while also not getting hurt and acting the whole time. Cutting the tension and tedium after multiple dives, Jackson pretends like he got knocked out and was suddenly awakened.
Samuel L. Jackson is always watching
Even though it's likely a reputation earned from only portraying authority figures and, as his character's wallet in Pulp Fiction famously proclaimed, badass motherf*****s, Samuel L. Jackson is a very intimidating guy. He speaks with authority and purpose, and communicates the notion that you better do what he says, or else. Of course, he's also got one of the most famous smiles in Hollywood, so this is all just a testament to his acting ability.
Still, Samuel L. Jackson is a boss, and carries himself as such. So much so that he apparently has eyes in the back of his head. While filming one of the few scenes in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage that involves just conversational dialogue instead of a death-defying stunt, Jackson perfectly delivers his lines. But then he somehow notices some nonsense going on way out in the background, and he incorporates it into the scene.
In spite of a goof, he Winter Soldiers on
Samuel L. Jackson just doesn't mess up his takes all that often. A seasoned veteran of nearly 200 movies shot over the past 40 years or so, the ins-and-outs of acting — like nailing lines and knowing where to cast his gaze — are extremely old hat to him. The actors around him, however, are generally not as experienced. Perhaps his reputation precedes him and scares his many co-stars, to the point where they momentarily forget how to act. Then they're the ones, not Jackson, who ruin a take with a tonally off line read, or a dialogue flub, or a miscalculation about where to walk or where to look.
It would seem that Jackson has some kind of effect on Cobie Smulders, his scene partner in this outtake from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After delivering a bit of dialogue, Smulders necessitates a "take it again from the top" because she fears she misjudged her eye line and stared right into the camera lens. Jackson razzes her, teasing that he thinks she actually forgot her line and was looking for an excuse.
"S.W.A.T." stands for "Sam Will Almost Tumble"
Despite the movie, the role, or even the scene, Samuel L. Jackson always manages to look cool. Even when he's choking out snakes on a plane in Snakes on a Plane, or rocking a periwinkle T-shirt in Pulp Fiction, sporting a ponytail in Soul Men, Jackson's inner awesomeness shines through somehow. He even comes out unscathed and with his dignity intact in S.W.A.T., the enjoyable-enough 2003 action movie based on a short-lived 1970s TV cop show memorable only for its killer theme song.
Jackson heads an all-star cast (which includes his future Avengers cohort Jeremy Renner) as a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant tasked with putting together an elite force. He's in charge, he's got swagger... but he certainly doesn't seem that authoritative or unflappable when he stumbles while shooting a scene. Jackson has his foot up on a desk like a cool teacher, until he slips and almost falls to the ground, cracking himself up along the way.