Actor Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most acclaimed and recognized actors in Hollywood. The legendary actor has seen it all, a late success, and commercial breakthroughs, and enjoys a cult status among his fans. At 74, he is still going strong and was last seen as his MCU character Nick Fury in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion.
However, the fame has not come easy for the actor as he led a life of addiction before his breakthrough in Pulp Fiction. In fact, he also attended rehab and after leaving, immediately chose to play the role of a cocaine addict in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Life And Career
Samuel L. Jackson is known for his acting career, his strong opinions on cinema and politics, and his iconic catchphrase. Jackson brings frustration and a sense of humor to every character that he plays, giving more than one dimension to them. His career skyrocketed with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction, in which he plays Jules, a hitman who has a spiritual awakening throughout the course of the film.
Before his shot to global stardom with Tarantino, Jackson started his career as a stage actor. He graduated from Morehouse College, during which he was a politically active student, and was reportedly even arrested during a protest along with Martin Luther King Sr. He joined the Black Power movement and was allegedly on the FBI watchlist due to his involvement in the movement.
In an interview with The Guardian, he spoke about his dramatic life,
“It was all part of growing up in an extraordinary time. That s*it helps you mature if you come through it and I’m here, right? Even the drugs and sh*t – I came through. I turned myself around.”
Soon after being released from prison, he returned to college and graduated with a degree in Drama. He started working as a stage actor and slowly joined films, appearing in small roles. He has been in films like Do The Right Thing, Jurassic Park, Coming To America, and Goodfellas.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Battle With Addiction
Samuel L. Jackson had a long battle with alcohol, cocaine, and heroin addiction, which started right after college. It reportedly deepened when he was an understudy on the Broadway play The Piano Lessons. While he was addicted to heroin in the beginning, he shifted to cocaine after he reportedly overdosed multiple times.
He was then taken to rehab after Jackson was allegedly found unconscious on the kitchen floor by his wife after he went on a bender. The drug binge was reportedly the effect of him learning that his The Piano Lessons co-actor Charles Dutton had been nominated for a Tony Award for the play.
Talking about his experience of going to rehab, Samuel L. Jackson said to The Guardian,
“I had reached that place where I could honestly say to myself: I’ve tried everything else, may as well give this a shot. The irony is I never got to taste Cristal. Back then, Moët was my champagne of choice. Now I get sent crates of Cristal and I ain’t never tasted the stuff. Ain’t that a b*tch?”
Jackson has been clean since his departure from rehab and mentioned that he attends AA meetings in New York regularly. He has reportedly admitted to being a compulsive drinker.
A week and a half after his exit from rehab, Jackson starred in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, in which he played the role of a crack cocaine addict. The role was widely acclaimed and he was even awarded the first-ever Best Supporting Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival. Jackson has described his role in the film as cathartic.
Source: The Guardian
