“A real actor’s director”: The filmmaker Samuel L Jackson was honoured to work with
Like Kit precedes Kat and day precedes night, the name Samuel is only ever followed by ‘L Jackson’ in the discussion around cinema. Samuel L Jackson is a pervasive presence not just in Hollywood itself but also in broader pop culture. He is a phenomenon, and he has been rightfully afforded the privilege of working with a plethora of cinema’s greatest directors.
As one of Hollywood’s most prolific stars, the list of greats he has worked with goes on and on and on. Jackson rarely falters, and that, in part, is down to his undeniable talent, but a lot of an actor’s heavy lifting is eased by great direction. With a list of credits and directors as long as Jackson’s, it can be hard to remember the individual experience of working with each of them. However, in an article for Venice Magazine, Jackson was asked about his time working with the late director John Frankenheimer in his TV movie Against the Wall, and he looked back on his time fondly.
Jackson explained: “To actually meet somebody like John and be part of his resurgence in film was a real honour. He was a real actor’s director. He would place the camera after he watched us rehearse and made sure it wasn’t in our way instead of framing the shot first and then putting the actors in it, like a lot of directors do.”
This became a formative early experience for Jackson himself, as he learnt how to make sure he made the most of the director’s liberties. Now, it’s hard to imagine anyone putting Jackson on a spot and telling him to act—such a heavy-handed approach conjures thoughts of: say spot one more time—I dare you, I double dare you, motherf***er!
Frankenheimer clearly made an impression on Jackson, as he continued to explain, “He offered a lot of creative freedom for us and what he was able to capture on film. The results were a lot more dynamic than what most ordinary directors were able to get.” Even though Jackson’s work with Frankenheimer came early on in his career, this type of praise and admiration obviously comes from a place of genuine appreciation.
Jackson finished off by saying, “I think coming from live television like he did, he really appreciated what actors brought to the table, as opposed to what he was bringing. He felt it was his job to capture our work, instead of the other way around.” Maybe this was Jackson’s inspiration for his role as Marvel‘s Nick Fury?
When he’s not gorging himself to death on Warburtons Toastie, Samuel L Jackson keeps himself busy by taking on every other script that gets posted through his letterbox. With a credits list that reads well over two hundred productions long, Jackson has extensive knowledge of working with numerous directors. While John Frankenheimer may not be the first or even the 21st name that springs to mind when browsing through Jackson’s list of notable productions, he was undoubtedly a true talent and a director at the top of his game in the 1990s. What’s more, he obviously had an eye for talent, too.
