LOADINGERROR LOADINGFor most actors, it’s just an honor to be nominated, but Samuel L.Jackson isn’t most actors.Jackson has starred in some of the most iconic films of all time, including “Goodfellas” (1990), “Jurassic Park” (1993) and “Pulp Fiction” (1994), and has earned critical acclaim for his performances across the decades, but has only been nominated for an Oscar once.While promoting his latest film on Tuesday, the veteran actor candidly addressed the topic.“We’ve been in the business long enough to know that folks who go, ‘Well, it’s just an honor to be nominated’ — no, it ain’t,” Jackson told The Associated Press, prompting Michael Potts, his costar in “The Piano Lesson” who was sitting beside him, to laugh heartily.Advertisement “It’s an honor to win!” Jackson continued.
“You get nominated, folks go, ‘Yeah, yeah, I remember that.’ Or most people forget.And generally, it’s a contest you didn’t volunteer to be in.
I didn’t go in there so I could flex, like, ’Wait a minute, let me do my scene!”Jackson has been acting since the 1970s, has starred in more than 150 films, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000.His one Oscar nomination came in 1995 for his performance as hitman Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” — but Martin Landau took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year for his turn as Bela Lugosi in “Ed Wood.”“They nominate you, and folks go, ‘What is that movie they’re nominated for? What’s the name of that thing?’” Jackson said Tuesday.“And then, after it’s over, people have a hard time remembering who even won.”Advertisement Jackson won an honorary Oscar in 2021, which Denzel Washington presented to him in 2022.Chris Pizzello/Associated PressFans of Jackson on social media acknowledged that the Academy Awards don’t necessarily reward the most deserving actors, but Jackson has won trophies elsewhere, includin...