Very few actors possess the commanding presence and versatile talent as Samuel L. Jackson. With a career spanning over six decades and boasting roles in more than a hundred films, Jackson has firmly established himself as a cinematic force to be reckoned with. Yet, despite his remarkable contributions to the silver screen, there remains one accolade that has eluded him, an Academy Award.

Samuel L Jackson

While Jackson has received an Honorary Academy Award, he has only one Oscar nomination for his iconic portrayal of Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the coveted Oscar statuette has remained just out of reach. And the 75-year-old actor believed that starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio was his best shot at winning an Oscar.

Samuel L Jackson Believed Starring in the Leonardo DiCaprio Movie Could Win Him an Oscar
Samuel L. Jackson has portrayed multiple iconic characters on-screen, with some of them being for his and the filmmaker Quentin Tarantino’s frequent collaborations. However, the actor believed that it was Tarantino’s Django Unchained, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, that could have earned him his first-ever Oscar.

Starring an ensemble cast including Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio, the film featured Jackson as Stephen Warren, the head house slave for the villainous Calvin Candie, portrayed by DiCaprio in the movie. He shared in an interview with the Los Angeles Times,

Everything I’ve done for Quentin has a moment that’s given me an opportunity, from Jackie Brown to The Hateful Eight to Django. Django was probably my best shot because it’s the most evil character I’ve ever played and they generally reward Black people for playing horrendous sh*t.

While he has received an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution and dynamic work in the film industry, Samuel L Jackson is yet to be recognized fully for his talent as an actor. However, the Oscar-nominated actor prefers having while working on his movies rather than focusing on earning prestigious accolades.

Samuel L Jackson Shared His Perspective on the Oscars

Actor Samuel L Jackson also shared his perspective on the prestigious award during the interview. Despite his initial attempts to remain somewhat jaded about the Oscars, Jackson revealed that he had long ago made peace with not winning the award for previous performances.

However, he emphasized that the Oscars had never been the ultimate gauge of his success or failure as an actor. “I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor,” he said before adding, “My yardstick of success is my happiness.”

He also claimed that he does not pursue any role solely to win an Oscar and would rather do the movies that bring him joy. “I’d rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand,” he said, expressing that he is satisfied with his craft.

Django Unchained is available on Apple TV+.