Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most prolific and prominent actors in Hollywood, which has made him important enough to gain him a star on the Walk of Fame. With a career that spans several decades, The Hateful Eight actor has showcased his exceptional talent across various genres of films and roles. Undeniably, Jackson has left a lasting impression in the realm of action films, and his ability to sell any dialogue has helped him to work from comedy films to dramatic roles, helping him to stay relevant all these years.
Samuel L. Jackson is renowned for his iconic performances, and a part of his legendary performances are through the use of his signature style is his iconic use of curses on screen. The raw and unapologetic use of using swear words has made many of his roles memorable and entertaining to watch. However, he was not delighted to work in S.W.A.T. when he was restricted from using curses in the movie.
Samuel L. Jackson Was Not Happy With The Restrictions Imposed On Him
S.W.A.T. is a renowned bloodless action film that has countless fans around the world, as it featured a thrilling plot and a thrilling performance by its cast members. The movie features several intense action sequences which were very well choreographed, the movie was immensely intense, keeping viewers sitting at the edge of their seats. As a result, the movie enjoyed box office success, earning $207.1 million at the worldwide box office.
Despite the success at the box office, Samuel L. Jackson was not happy because he was restricted from using curses in the 2003 film. Hence, he believed that was one of the reasons, that stopped the film from earning more at the box office. And he made sure that his other film Snakes on a Plane from repeating the same mistakes that the bloodless action film did.
During an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Samuel L. Jackson stated how the film was PG-13 at first, but he was absolutely against it. He felt that it was a nuisance because nobody was swearing “when you’re in a plane with a bunch of f***ing snakes.”
“In this day and age, you can show snake strikes. You can see them bite. You see the injection of venom. You can see the snake bite fester, blow up, and all that other stuff. But we weren’t doing any of that stuff when we were shooting. And also, nobody was cursing. Which is kind of unrealistic, when you’re in a plane with a bunch of f***ing snakes.”
Samuel L. Jackson continued that while he was working on the 2003 action film, he realized that he hated working in PG-13 movies because it shows situations that are not possible in real life. Hence, he vowed to himself that will not repeat the same mistake with Snakes on a Plane.
“We did SWAT that way. SWAT was kind of a bloodless crime film. How do you do that? But I was insistent, all the time shooting Snakes, that we should go ahead and do it anyway. It’ll save us time and money, ‘cuz I knew we’re going to have to come back and do it anyway. Nobody ever believes me when I say that.”
Jackson’s idea to use curse words in the 2006 film changed the rating from PG-13 to R for language. It was a massive success as he was able to imitate a real-life situation where passengers are scared for their life. Hence, the film earned $62 million at the worldwide box office with additional earnings of $ 24.4 million in video earnings, making it one of the most successful films.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Agents Could Not Believe When He Agreed To Work in Snake on a Plane
When it was announced that The Avengers actor would be a part of the 2006 thriller film, everyone was surprised because of his fame and popularity. However, he decided to be a part of the film because Ronnie Yu, the popular filmmaker would be a part of the film. Despite that, his inner circle questioned his decision.
“My agents were like, ‘Did you REALLY tell Ronnie Yu you wanted to make a movie called Snakes on a Plane? [But] my agents and managers have finally figured out that I’m pretty much going to do what I want to do. Sometimes, they don’t get it. And it’s okay for them not to get it.”
Samuel L. Jackson’s experimentation working in different films to showcase his acting chops has made him one of the most incredible actors of all time. And how he can leave a lasting impact in a film, that audience would be willing to watch even though the film seems boring.
Snakes on a Plane can be streamed on Max.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
