In a fascinating exchange of wisdom among Hollywood legends, Samuel L. Jackson shared a valuable piece of advice he received from Bruce Willis during their collaboration on the 1994 blockbuster, *Die Hard With a Vengeance*. In an interview with *Vanity Fair* celebrating Willis' 70th birthday, Jackson recounted Willis' insightful words: "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 elaborated on the concept by citing examples from their peers: "Arnold [Schwarzenegger]'s got Terminator. Sylvester [Stallone]'s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane." This advice didn't immediately resonate with Jackson until he landed the role of Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reflecting on this, Jackson noted, "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's journey as Nick Fury began with a cameo in the post-credits scene of *Iron Man* in 2008. He fully embraced the role in *Iron Man 2* in 2010 and has since reprised it in an impressive tally of 10 films, three TV series, and two video games. His most recent portrayals include the 2023 film *The Marvels* and the series *Secret Invasion*, along with a voice role in the Season 2 finale of the animated series *Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur*.
Reflecting on the rapid pace of his Marvel commitments, Jackson humorously pondered his longevity in a 2024 interview with *GQ*. "I knew I had a nine-picture deal when Kevin [Feige] 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?'" Despite his initial concerns, Jackson was surprised by the swift production schedule of the Marvel universe. "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 s—t, I'm using up my contracts!' but it worked out."
