Samuel L. Jackson’s Career-Saving Advice from Bruce Willis That Led Him to Nick Fury
Samuel L. Jackson has played a ton of unforgettable roles over the course of his acting career, but few have defined his career quite like Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, his path to the iconic character wasn’t a straight shot, and it was influenced by a piece of career-saving wisdom from Bruce Willis.
While working together on Die Hard with a Vengeance, Willis shared some advice that stuck with Jackson long after they wrapped filming.
Jackson recalled in an interview with Vanity Fair: "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, who built his career on Die Hard, pointed out how other action stars had their own safety nets.
"He said, 'Arnold’s got Terminator. Sylvester’s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane.'"
At the time, Jackson took it in but didn’t fully grasp its significance until he landed Nick Fury.
"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 this story as part of a tribute to Willis on his 70th birthday, reflecting on how that conversation shaped his approach to surviving Hollywood.
In a previous interview, Jackson admitted he initially had doubts about fulfilling Marvel’s contract.
"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?'" Jackson said with a laugh.
"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."
Jackson has appeared as Nick Fury in Marvel movies for over 15 years, becoming one of the MCU’s most enduring figures. And just like Willis predicted, whenever Jackson veers into less successful films, he’s always got Fury waiting for him.