Samuel L. Jackson knows he had to win an Oscar for Criminal Reading

Samuel L. Jackson in Criminal Readings

Samuel L. Jackson c Criminal
Screenshot: Miramax

Samuel L. Jackson has appeared in many films before Criminalbut this is the film that changed his career. He was so great in Quentin Tarantino’s film as the assassin Jules – with one of the most iconic film quotes of all time – that he received an Oscar nomination in 1995 for Best Supporting Actor.

But he did not win. Instead, Martin Landau won the award for his role in Tim Burton’s film Ed Wood as the actor of Count Dracula Bela Lugoshi. To this day, this is somehow the only time Jackson has been nominated for an Oscar, although he received an honorary Oscar this year.

In an interview with The timeshe admits that he still thinks he should have been the one to take the shiny, golden-bald man home for Criminal.

“I had to win this one,” he told interviewer Jonathan Dean. He also says he believes he should have been nominated for his role as Gator Purify Jungle fever. He was ignored, and Harvey Keitel and Ben Kingsley got it nominations for supporting roles in Bugsy instead.

“My wife and I went to see Bugsy“he says.” Damn! They were nominated, weren’t they? I guess blacks usually win when they do nasty nonsense on screen. Like Denzel [Washington] for being a terrible cop on Training Day. All the great things you did in sublime roles like Malcolm X? No, we’ll give it to this bastard. So maybe I should have won one. But the Oscars don’t move the comma of your check – it’s about sitting on your ass and I did a good job with it.

Jackson also affects whether or not Spider-Man: No way home he had to be nominated for an Oscar. Kevin Smith came out full Brody in February, says in his podcast FatMan Beyond that the last Spider-Man film was to be nominated for Best Picture. “They have 10 slots, can’t they give one to the biggest fucking movie in three years?” He asked. This has sparked a wider discourse on which films deserve an Oscar nomination.

Although Jackson doesn’t seem to be thinking There is no way home should deserve a nomination for best film, he believes there should be a category in which such films would fit. “They have to have an Oscar for the most popular film because it’s business.”

He says There is no way home he had to be nominated because he did what the movies didonce – took people to a big dark room. “

There was plans to win an Oscar for outstanding achievement in the popular film in 2018but after very backlash from those who thought that blockbusters should not be recognized just because they bring big money, the Academy withdrew and postpone the idea.