Samuel L. Jackson Reads Movie Script He Doesn’t Like
Posted by Raj on March 5, 2008
Samuel L. Jackson sent shockwaves through Hollywood yesterday, announcing that he was turning down a movie role after reading a script he didn’t like. The movie, Scorpions on a Ship, is believed to be the first role Jackson has turned down since he declined to play a Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard in a high school play about civil rights. In that case, however, his parents’ refusal to sign the permission form was the reason Jackson did not participate, not his hesitancy about the role. But, after starring in 63 straight films he had been offered, even Jackson drew the line at Scorpions on Ship, a period piece about a 19th Century man on slave-ship, who has to protect himself and his family when killer scorpions are intentionally let loose on the ship by a rival plantation owner.
Jackson addressed the Media at a press conference in Los Angeles, where he spoke about the end of the streak. “Yes, I’ve had quite a run but I never really thought much about it. While it’s true I have accepted some movie roles without reading the script or because the name sounded real cool, in most cases it’s just that all the scripts I’ve been given over the years have seemed really good! Yes, even XXX: State of the Union and The Great White Hype looked good on paper. I will tell you though, that it’s a numbers game. People thought I was a genius for taking a chance on Pulp Fiction or The Red Violin. I ain’t no genius. I accepted everything I was given to read, because I knew for every three bad movies like The Long Kiss Goodnight, I would probably luck out and make a good movie like The Negotiator.”
News traveled quickly throughout the industry that Samuel ‘You write it, I’ll be in it’ Jackson was turning down a role, and the initial response was one of skepticism, followed by disbelief. “I was really surprised.” said Fred Savage, of Wonder Years fame. “I emulated my movie career on him. I’ve been accepting every role I’ve been given since the Wonder Years, with the hopes that eventually I would get my Do the Right Thing, my Patriot Games, but now, I may have to rethink my strategy. Starring in The Wonder Rears may not be the best career move for me after all.”
The future of Scorpions on a Ship is also up in the air, with three other main actors having pulled out of the project after hearing of Jackson’s script rejection. The film studio is also considering shelving the project, with the Studio President saying, “We really need to ask ourselves, is this film worth making anymore? It’s a pretty telling indicator of the economic viability of a project, when even Samuel Jackson doesn’t want to be in the film.”
As for his reasons for rejecting the role Jackson said, “I just didn’t get it. Maybe if it was a Sci Fi flick like Mutant Worms on a Spaceship or something, I would have pulled the trigger. At least Snakes on A Plane was believable, but this? Why wouldn’t we just throw the damn scorpions off the freaking ship?”
