How Samuel L. Jackson Prepares His Characters
‘I read the script and create a biography for myself’ – Samuel L. Jackson
(Arranged by Carmichael Phillips)
Samuel L. Jackson has dozens of memorable film credits to his name, thanks to a career that has spanned more than five decades. His most popular films include Pulp Fiction, Snakes on a Plane, Kong: Skull Island, Coming to America, Django: Unchained and The Negotiator.
This is how Jackson describes his process of developing his characters, as told by Jackson on the Howard Stern Show:
“I sit at home. I read the script, maybe, four or five times. Then I go back into it. And create a biography for myself, from info that’s in the script and things that I’m able to make up about the character because of his relationships with other people or what he says about himself.”
“You have a lot of stuff to bring to the set with you. Where the character’s coming from, what he was doing before he got to this situation, where he’s going when he leaves that situation, what kind of food he might want to eat while he’s there or before he got there. It can be that specific, yeah.”
“You change your walk, because you like somebody’s character walk. I remember my hairdresser, Robert. Robert’s sister had this red hair that was kind of knotty. And when I saw it, I told him, ‘Take a picture of your sister’s hair, ‘cause I want to use that in a movie one day. And I ended up using it in The Negotiator (1997).”
“That’s why I love riding the subway. I still love riding the subway when I’m here (in New York). Because, I like looking at people. I ride around in cars when I’m in other cities and check out the area or the kind of culture that’s different from where I am.”
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