The priceless advice Bruce Willis gave to Samuel L. Jackson that he ultimately followed
“My yardstick of success is my happiness.”
In honor of Bruce Willis’ 70th birthday, Samuel L. Jackson shared an anecdote with Variety about his longstanding relationship with Bruce Willis. The two actors have starred together in several films like Unbreakable, Glass, and Die Hard with a Vengeance, as well as Pulp Fiction (though they didn’t share scenes in that one). Over the years, they’ve developed a great friendship. During the filming of Die Hard in the early ’90s, Willis offered Jackson a valuable piece of career advice: to find a character that the audience would associate closely with him.
“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,” Willis told Jackson. “Arnold’s got Terminator. Sylvester’s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane.” Jackson thanked him for the advice, though he didn’t think much of it at the time. It wasn’t until years later that he truly understood its value when he landed the role of Nick Fury and signed a nine-film contract.
“Oh, I’m doing what Bruce said. I’ve got this character now,” Jackson reflected, noting that he hadn’t anticipated filming all nine movies at such a rapid pace—within a little over two and a half years. The role brought him financial security, and he’s never lost interest in it. “My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies. You know: ‘If you do this movie, you’ll win an Oscar.’ No, thanks. I’d rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand.”
The Future of Samuel L. Jackson
At 76 years old, the prolific actor shows no signs of slowing down, as evidenced by the varied projects with his name on them that are set to release in the coming months. Recently, he starred in The Piano Lesson, a highly acclaimed Netflix production adapting a Broadway play he previously performed in. In 2025, we’ll see him co-star in the post-apocalyptic Afterburn alongside Dave Bautista. Additionally, The Unholy Trinity, a western that premiered in 2024 but has yet to secure distribution, is still awaiting release. Of course, fans are also eagerly anticipating his return as Nick Fury in Avengers: Doomsday, the MCU’s big hope for reclaiming its former glory and commercial success.
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