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

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.

This isn't the only time that the actor has reminisced on his time playing the MCU's handler. Last year, when speaking to GQ, Jackson joked that he didn't think he'd live long enough to fulfil his nine-picture deal with Marvel.

"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."

For more on all things MCU, check out our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and our breakdown of how to watch the Marvel movies in order.