Samuel L. Jackson names his favourite Quentin Tarantino role
Samuel L. Jackson has enjoyed one of the most successful and expansive careers Hollywood has ever seen. His range is unrivalled, taking on roles spanning a stoic Marvel spy, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr, a Star Wars Jedi master, the effortlessly cool superhero Frozone, and countless others. Alongside the blockbusters and franchises, Jackson has also honed a close working relationship with beloved cult director Quentin Tarantino.
Since their first collaboration on Pulp Fiction in 1994, which also marked Jackson’s breakthrough performance, the duo have been inseparable. Jackson has become Tarantino’s most frequent collaborator, with six of the director’s films to his name, starring in Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill: Volume 2, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight.
Between his many collaborations with the cult filmmaker, Jackson has taken on an assortment of characters ranging from a gun runner to a bounty hunter to a hitman. But one role is a cut above the rest, according to Jackson himself. When the actor was asked which of his own roles he loves by Esquire, Jackson gushed over his role as Mitch Hennessy in the 1996 thriller The Long Kiss Goodnight before adding, “And believe it or not, I fucking love Stephen from Django Unchained“.
Jackson starred as the antagonist and head house slave Stephen in the western, working with Leonardo DiCaprio’s unrelenting Calvin J. Candie to prevent Django, played by Jamie Foxx, from reuniting with his wife. As the most senior slave in Candyland, Stephen is a cunning character who sides with his white master to retain his superior position. Villainous and complex, Jackson shared his admiration for the character, stating, “I mean, the dude ran that fucking plantation. Candyland was his fucking plantation”.
The actor suggests that while DiCaprio’s Candie may seem to be the one in charge, Stephen is the real brains behind Candyland: “Dude’s writing the bills. He’s making sure the crops get planted. He’s making sure the slaves get sold. He runs that place. And he’s been there. His father did the same job he had; his grandfather did the same job he had”.
Stephen sees himself almost as a father figure to Candie, as Jackson notes, “And he has this misplaced love for Leo and this stuff because he raised him. He ain’t really got no kids of his own because he ain’t have time to do that. But Leo was basically his kid. And Candyland is his world.”
Desperate to hold onto his world in fear of falling into the same fate as the slaves he deems to be lesser than him, Stephen is loyal to Candie and goes out of his way to ensure Django’s demise. Despite this, by the end of the film, Django prevails, and Stephen’s world, Candyland, goes up in flames. Jackson nailed his performance of the character in all of his villainous complexity, so it’s no surprise that he takes the title of his favourite Tarantino role.
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