From battling snakes on a plane to defending Earth from megalomaniac titans and mischievous gods, Samuel L. Jackson has cemented his place as a cinema icon. Some of his more celebrated performances have come in Quentin Tarantino films, as the actor and filmmaker have become regular collaborators since 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” While they have tasted success together, and everyone knows Academy Awards are always a possibility for a Tarantino flick, Jackson believes he and one co-star were overlooked for Oscars after their performances in the 2012 revisionist Western “Django Unchained.”
Appearing on “The Howard Stern Show” in 2016, Jackson discussed how he thought Leonardo DiCaprio and himself should have been nominated for their roles as Calvin J. Candie and Stephen respectively, because of their “greater impact” in the story. In “Django Unchained,” Candie is the sadistic owner of the Candyland Plantation, while Stephen is his loyal head house slave. “See, my criterion seems to be different from what everyone else’s criteria is,” Jackson said. After being asked to elaborate on what he believes constitutes an Oscar-nominated performance, he said, “If there’s a character in a particular film that is impactful, that moves the script along, and you leave the theater wishing you could spend more time with.”
In addition to this, Samuel L. Jackson revealed the one “Django Unchained” scene he was disappointed that Tarantino deleted. However, Jackson told the director he hopes the violent scene where Stephen tortures Django makes it into the director’s cut.
Christoph Waltz and Quentin Tarantino cleaned up at the awards ceremonies after Django Unchained
While Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson didn’t receive the thumbs-up from the Academy, “Django Unchained” secured over 150 award nominations, leaving no doubt that it’s one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films. The movie cleaned up at the major ceremonies, too. Tarantino and Christoph Waltz walked away with best original screenplay and best supporting actor respectively at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013. In addition to this, the pair secured the same awards from the Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
What makes these wins more impressive is the fact “Django Unchained” had to compete with the likes of “Argo,” “Lincoln,” “Les Misérables,” and “Life of Pi” for the trophies that year. Talk about a highly competitive and stacked field!
It wasn’t all bad news for Jackson, though, as he was recognized by other awards bodies for his role in “Django Unchained.” He received nominations from the BET Awards, North Carolina Film Critics Association, Georgia Film Critics Association, and others. Also, he scored wins at the NAACP Image Awards and Black Reel Awards. Not too shabby.
Samuel L. Jackson received an Oscar nomination for another Tarantino movie
Even though Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get the Oscar nod for his performance as Stephen in “Django Unchained,” he scored a nomination for another Quentin Tarantino classic: “Pulp Fiction.” In the film, Jackson plays Jules Winnfield: a smart but crude hitman and Vincent Vega’s (John Travolta) partner in crime. Not only is “Pulp Fiction” recognized as a quintessential film of the ’90s and arguably Tarantino’s best, but it’s also seen as a defining piece of work in Jackson’s career.
For his performance, Jackson received a best supporting actor nomination at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995. Ultimately, he lost out to the late great Martin Landau, who won the coveted trophy for his role as Bela Lugosi in Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood.”
Samuel L. Jackson isn’t bothered by his past Oscar loss, though. He revealed that he doesn’t believe an Academy Award results in a higher paycheck for an actor; it’s all to do with how you’re able to attract a crowd to a movie. Needless to say, his stint as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has likely attracted more dollars to his bank account than any Oscar win would have. At least Jackson can use all those dollars to dry the tears from his eyes if no further Academy Award nominations materialize in the future.