Samuel L. Jackson Reflects on His Longevity in Hollywood: 'I've Been Kind of Fortunate' (Exclusive)
Jackson stars in the new Peacock limited series 'Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist' alongside Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard and Don Cheadle
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Samuel L. Jackson in 2023Samuel L. Jackson is looking back on his success in Hollywood.
At the Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 4, Jackson, 75, spoke to PEOPLE exclusively about his decades-spanning career as an actor, and why he chose the limited series as his latest project.
"When you're a young actor and you're going to auditions, you always feel like you're very lucky when you get that job," he said. "And as you increase or as your success grows, or as mine did when people started sending me things, I had to start making choices about what I wanted to do. And you can make bad choices, you can make good choices."
"I've been kind of fortunate," he added. "I like all kinds of movies, but I'm kind of specific about what I want to see myself in or the kinds of things I want to see when I was a young person or a young actor, you know. I wanna be in something like that. So if I read something like that, I go, 'Yeah, I wanna do this so I can see myself in it.' I made some good choices and was fortunate doing that."
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LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson attend Peacock's "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" World Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Sept. 4, 2024He also noted that he has been fortunate to work in "some big franchise movies" with "a great character," referring to his recurring role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"You know, it's not often that somebody says I want you to be in my movie and I want to give you a nine-picture deal. So I ended up being Nick Fury a lot," he explained.
Jackson, who appears in the new Peacock series as crime boss Frank Moten alongside Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard, told PEOPLE that Fight Night had a personal connection to him, as he was in Atlanta when the events depicted in the limited series happened.
The series takes place in October 1970 following Muhammad Ali's return to the boxing ring, which drew high-profile people from all over the United States to witness the G.O.A.T. in action. The evening's events included an afterparty, where an armed robbery made an impact on Atlanta. The robbers reportedly seized $1 million of cash, jewelry and other valuable items.
"I know it's a real thing. I know that was a fight. I know that was a robbery and I know people died," the Pulp Fiction actor said, adding how the story of what really happened evolved over time. "But us being Black folk, after the robbery happened, the mythology got bigger than the robbery. They stole like that and $9 million. So and so got a mink coat taken... They stole homeboy's car. I was like damn, they didn't do all that."
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From left: Terrence Howard, Kevin Hart, Don Cheadle, Taraji P. Henson and Samuel L. Jackson attend Peacock's "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" World Premiere on Sept. 4, 2024Related: Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard Have Empire Reunion at Fight Night Premiere
The Jurassic Park actor concluded that it "was interesting" to work on a project that allowed him to "take the reality and the mythology and put meat on the bones of the mythology, whatever it may be."
"Not many people didn't get killed, but it was fun killing them on screen," Jackson added.
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The first three episodes of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist are now streaming on Peacock. Remaining episodes will be released each week on Thursdays.
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