Samuel L. Jackson, best known for his work in Pulp Fiction (1994) and for playing the iconic character Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, once wandered off into the wrong neighborhood, he said in a Vanity Fair interview in 2021.
Before Jackson found his breakthrough opportunity with Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever (1991), he had collaborated with the director a couple of times. It was during one of Lee’s earlier films that the actor almost fell in trouble.
Playing Mister Señor Love Daddy, Jackson appeared in the sixth film to his name – Do the Right Thing in 1989. The film gave the audience a peek into the lives of racially diverse people going about their lives in Brooklyn, New York.
In order to shoot the film, Lee had to dive deep into the low-income suburbs of the city, and things could have taken a turn for the worst for then-aspiring artist Jackson in the $27 million film.
Local Drug Dealers Threatened Samuel L. Jackson
Jackson wasn’t particularly a thriving celebrity in ‘89, and it was obvious that people living around the shooting location – Bedford–Stuyvesant Avenue, didn’t recognize him.
The reason he was threatened, as he told Vanity Fair, was that Lee had hired Nation of Islam’s security wing to vacate the location of drug dealers and that affected their network and business.
Samuel L. Jackson was surprised to see a local store owner threaten him, saying –
“You acting motherf–kers came in here and ruined our business, we’re gonna f–k you up,” he recalled.
He even highlighted the fact that he used to be a knucklehead during those early years of his career, and didn’t back down at such confrontations.
The Reason Spike Lee Chose Bedford-Stuyvesant Avenue
Jackson joked that the film had been a summer camp of sorts as it was shot during the hottest days of the year. Lee chose Bedford-Stuyvesant Avenue as it was densely populated by people of color.
People in New York, as Lee said to Vanity Fair, are different than people in Los Angeles. He wanted actors who could mix up well in this episodic flick.
“The actors from New York are more about work, which is the way it should be. Give me actors like Sam Jackson and Bill Nunn anytime!”
Do the Right Thing had Spike Lee as Mookie, alongside Danny Aiello, Rosie Perez, and John Turturro in supporting roles.
Samuel L. Jackson is set to reprise his role as Nick Fury in Marvel Studios’ The Marvels; set to release on November 10.
Source: Vanity Fair
