Samuel L. Jackson is known for his portrayal of Mace Windu in all three Star Wars prequel trilogy. You might not know that Jackson was the one who expressed his desire to work with George Lucas. That’s when he received a call from the director himself, to offer him the role.
Once, The Banker star also shared on Seth Meyers’ talk show that he initially planned to make a cameo in the prequel films. But when he arrived for filming in London, he was given the role of a Jedi — and he got lucky to play the role of Mace Windu in the Star Wars franchise.
Having an experience as a regarded Jedi, he knows what it takes to portray the character at its best. That’s the reason he wasn’t all too happy to see the work of actors in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Samuel L. Jackson Said the Actors in The Force Awakens Needed to Go to The LightSaber Fight School
Samuel L. Jackson talked about The Force Awakens during an interview on ABC News. Speaking to Pete Travers about JJ Abrams’s space sequel, Jackson wasn’t all that excited. Despite its box office success, his praise was rather lukewarm. The Hollywood star went on to say:
“It’s done in the spirit of the Star Wars films.”
The actor continued and said that the movie was uplifting, but he still thought the actors needed to go to the lightsaber fight school (Inspired by Star Wars, The School of Saberfighting offers training in stage fencing):
“It’s adventuresome and exciting in a way. I think the kids need to go to lightsaber fight school, but that’s just me thinking that. They’ve got time to get better.”
Looks like Jackson is definitely a tough Jedi to impress.
Samuel L. Jackson’s Character is Highly Regarded in Star Wars
Samuel L. Jackson reveals that he underwent some extensive training for his onscreen lightsaber duels in Star Wars. In a video interview with GQ, Jackson said:
“I don’t know exactly what that means, in terms of what you want to know. There was a time when you went to acting school, fencing was a part of your requirement. So a lot of us did that. But the majority of fighting is choreographed. Lightsaber battles? It takes a long time to learn those, or it did when I was doing them. The last one I had with the Emperor was 99 moves through three rooms, backwards for me. So, two weeks in sneakers and shorts, two weeks in boots, another week in Jedi robe/boots/lightsaber, before we actually shot it. So, it was pretty intense.”
The role got significant acclaim to Jackson because the character of Mace Windu is important to the franchise. Mace Windu sits on the High Council during the Galactic Republic’s last years. His distinctive purple-bladed lightsaber and combat skills are what make him the most regarded Jedi of his time. His reputation can be seen in George Lucas’ prequel films.
