The hilarious reason Samuel L. Jackson agreed to ‘Snakes on a Plane’
Samuel L. Jackson has enjoyed an immensely successful career, despite the oscillating quality of the titles in which he has starred. Famous for his Kangol hats, constant use of the word “motherfucker”, and position as the third highest-grossing actor of all time, Jackson has been an everpresent of Hollywood for decades now and has constructed an oeuvre that boasts a myriad of cultural institutions.
Perhaps his most lauded roles came in the Quentin Tarantino features Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight. However, his filmography also boasts flourishes in Die Hard with a Vengeance, A Time to Kill, the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Whilst Jackson can claim many iconic titles, not all remain timeless. Whether it be Deep Blue Sea or The 51st State, Jackson would be the first to admit that he’s featured in his fair share of duds. However, for the actor, his craft is all about having fun, with this dedication to enjoying himself the root cause of such a varied career.
One of the most infamous flops that Samuel L. Jackson worked on remains the 2006 action comedy Snakes on a Plane. Directed by David R. Ellis, the plot tells the story of dozens of venomous snakes being released on a commercial passenger plane in an effort to murder a trial witness. Starring the likes of Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Bobby Cannavale and Kenan Thompson, the film did not live up to the internet buzz that surrounded it and is considered a box office disaster.
Despite Snakes on a Plane not living up to its promise, Samuel L. Jackson didn’t seem to mind. In an April interview with TIME, prior to the film’s release in August, the American actor explained that he didn’t sign up to make a high-brow masterpiece but to have “a good time”.
Asked why he wanted to do the film, he said: “Well, yeah. I knew I was going to do the movie when I saw the title. I’ve always watched movies like that and they’re funny and more exciting in some ways than doing regular dramas or straight-ahead action pictures.”
He continued: “It just sounded like the situation that I’ve always had fun watching in the movies — a bunch of people trapped on a plane with poisonous snakes. It’s like, okay, this sounds like I can go and have a good time. So that’s what I did. I like to think I have an audience member’s sensibility, and the title just puts it all right out there. You either get it or you don’t.”
