After actors reach a certain level of fame in the film industry, it becomes difficult for them to take on supporting roles in projects thanks to their roaring popularity. However, Samuel L. Jackson is built different! Despite practically becoming a household name after films like Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park, he didn’t think he was too good to play a supporting character or even show up for an uncredited role.
1999 marked the beginning of Samuel L. Jackson’s Star Wars journey as he played Jedi master Mace Windu in the prequel series of the franchise. Opening up about how he got bagged the supporting role in the films, the actor revealed how director George Lucas reached out to him after hearing about his interest in the franchise.
Samuel L. Jackson Talks About Getting Cast in Star Wars
Samuel L. Jackson has been credited in countless films and television series and if you were to sit and count them all, it could take up your entire day! It seems like almost everyone wanted to work with the incredibly talented actor. The question is, who did Jackson want to work with? The answer is simple: George Lucas.
During a conversation with Vulture in 2023, Jackson revealed that while appearing for an interview on a British talk show, he expressed his desire to be a part of Lucas’ sci-fi world and his prayers didn’t go unheard. Lucas eventually reached out to Jackson and the duo became really good friends.
“Fortunately I’ve been in the blockbuster business for a while. I remember I was on some British talk show and they asked me if there were any directors I wanted to work with I hadn’t worked with. I go, ‘Yeah, George Lucas. I’d love to be in a Star Wars movie.’ Then I go off and I’m doing ‘Sphere’ in Vallejo with Dustin and Sharon Stone and I get a call. ‘George Lucas would like to meet you. He hears you want to be in his Star Wars movie.’ Then George and I became really good friends.”
After getting to know him, Lucas fell in love with the man’s work ethic. The actor was never late to work, came fully prepared with his lines, and managed to maintain a friendly atmosphere on the set which, let’s be honest, is not everyone’s cup of tea. Soon, Jackson officially became a part of Star Wars.
“He liked my work ethic, he liked the fact I showed up, I hit my marks, I knew my lines, I was nice to everybody, I was cool, I was glad to be there. So now I’m in the Star Wars universe, which is great. Back then, that was the biggest fan base on the planet.”
Despite the fact that Jackson’s last Star Wars appearance was in Revenge of the Sith, the franchise has managed to still have one of the biggest fanbases in the world! We are glad the Goodfellas actor got to be a part of it.
George Lucas Talks about Samuel L. Jackson’s Work Ethic
Jackson was not tooting his own horn when he revealed how Lucas absolutely loved his work ethic. During an interview, the filmmaker himself opened up about working with the Captain Marvel actor and couldn’t stop himself from praising his absolutely professional behavior on the sets of Star Wars.
Lucas stated,
“He’s a great actor, he’s extremely talented. He’s very, very professional. He’s always there working on the set. Never goes to his dressing room. Always thinking about his part. Always giving you as much as he can and helping to make the film better.”
Talking about Jackson as an actor, Lucas said,
“He’s very talented. He is able to sort of disappear into a role. He’s always very powerful. He’s probably the most powerful character on the screen. He’s just a really great all-around actor and a terrific person.”
Well, it looks like Lucas certainly did not regret his decision to cast Jackson as Mace Windu. If he had the chance to go back in time and do the films all over again, he’d probably prefer sticking with Jackson!
You can stream the Star Wars prequel trilogy on Disney+.
