Samuel L. Jackson shares the best advice that Bruce Willis gave him after making bad movies, and it led him to Nick Fury

Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in The Marvels
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson has revealed the advice that Bruce Willis once gave him. The action legend gave Jackson a nudge towards finding a role that he could return to when they bonded on the Die Hard With a Vengeance – and it all led him to playing Nick Fury in the MCU.

"He told me, 'Hopefully you’ll be able to find a character that, when you make bad movies and they don’t make any money, you can always go back to this character everybody loves,'" Jackson recalled to Vanity Fair.

"He said, 'Arnold’s got Terminator. Sylvester’s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane.' I’m like, 'Oh, okay.' And it didn’t occur to me until I got that Nick Fury role – and I had a nine-picture deal to be Nick Fury – that, 'Oh, I’m doing what Bruce said. I’ve got this character now.'" Jackson shared the insight to mark Willis' 70th birthday in a special piece on Vanity Fair.

"I knew I had a nine picture deal when Kevin said, he was like, ‘We wanna offer you a nine picture deal’ I was like, 'How long I gotta stay alive to make nine movies?'" he explained. "It's not the quickest process in the world and people don't do it, so I didn't know they were gonna make nine movies in like two and a half years. Which is kind of crazy. I was like 'Oh shit, I'm using up my contracts!' but it worked out."

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

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