Samuel L. Jackson

Surrounded by a Norse god, a super soldier, a deadly spy, a brilliant scientist who can become an 8-foot-tall rage monster, and, well, Tony Stark, it might have been easy for Cobie Smulders to get lost in the muscle-clad crowd. But the 30-year-old Canadian actress who plays S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Maria Hill in the record-breaking blockbuster “The Avengers” made it her mission to create a space for her character among Marvel’s A-listers, which, of course, include Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Chris Evans’ Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. “I feel like I was able to hold my own quite well,” Smulders said, sitting down for an interview on a recent morning. “That was really important to me, because I was quite intimidated…. Not only is it a different genre for me, but it’s with some of the most talented actors […]

After a succession of quick cameos in almost every Marvel Studios movie, Samuel L. Jackson’s mysterious Nick Fury is at last stepping out of the shadows for his turn in the spotlight in “The Avengers.” “It was finally satisfying to get to find out exactly what Nick’s been getting at,” Jackson said on a recent morning at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. “About the Avengers initiative, and why he thought it was necessary. We find out a little more about where he operates, how he operates, sort of the workings of his mind.” The film, which opens in U.S. theaters this weekend, unites the Marvel superheroes that have dominated the big screen in recent summers — Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as well as Black Widow (Scarlett […]

The news is grim — a team member has gone down, the worst is feared — and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) exchange pensive looks while, all around them, the agents of a super-spy agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. tend to their duties as an off-planet enemy force threatens the entire planet. The scene, being filmed on an elevated set, was watched from a safe — and ironic — distance by Joss Whedon. “You know, you shouldn’t worry too much,” the director and co-writer of “The Avengers” reassured a visitor to the New Mexico set. “This kind of stuff happens here almost every day in the Marvel universe.” It does feel sometimes like Hollywood has become a digital factory dedicated to cosmic dangers, costumed heroes and CG magic but “The Avengers” is a special case even in this summer […]

Samuel L. Jackson, Zach Galifianakis part of Stand Up to Cancer video

It’s a big day in the Marvel Universe — principal photography is now underway in Albuquerque, N.M., on “The Avengers,” the film that will bring together the superheroes from four separate film franchises and, perhaps, launch a few new ones. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo stepping in for the banished Edward Norton) will be joined by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, reprising her slinky S.H.I.E.L.D. spy role from “Iron Man 2“) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, who makes a cameo with his bows and arrows in “Thor,” which opens May 6) as well as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), the representatives of S.H.I.E.L.D., the secret-ops government agency that appears to be the glue holding much of the upcoming mythology in place. As expected, Tom Hiddleston from “Thor” will be the […]

“IRON MAN 2″ COUNTDOWN: 12 DAYS Tony Stark breaks all the rules (even the one that says superheroes must keep a secret identity), and he always seems to come out on top — that’s why we love him. But now comes “Iron Man 2,” a film about secret dangers, the sins of the father and the nasty price of modern celebrity. The movie lands May 7 in the U.S., and every day until then, we’ll have behind-the-scenes scoops on the summer’s most anticipated film and a look at all things Iron Man.   Think of Nick Fury as the spy who came in from credits. During the making of the first “Iron Man,” Samuel L. Jackson was invited to film a quick scene in the role as ”a tag,” the name for those short (and often funny or sequel-suggesting) snippets of film that roll after […]

I sent an e-mail to Samuel L. Jackson congratulating him on his nine-movie deal with Marvel Studios and he shot back an answer right away: “Thanks for even caring. It’s always a joy lose an eye, gain a patch and a really big facial scar in the name of character. Plus, I get to run the largest world-peace task force in the world, S.H.I.E.L.D. I’m glad that in the end we were able to reach across the aisle and put our differences aside and do what’s best for the franchise and the fans … & ME TOO!” I talked to him by phone a couple of hours later (all of this was late last week, right before I left for WonderCon in San Francisco) and he said there was no false posturing in his dealings with Marvel; he had reached […]

So a few weeks ago I sat down with Samuel L. Jackson and he was ready to walk away from Marvel Studios and all of their big plans for him as Nick Fury, the one-eyed Marvel character that has been fighting the good fight against Nazis, spies and aliens for decades. The issue, of course, was money. “There was a huge kind of negotiation that broke down,” Jackson told me during the interview at the Four Seasons Hotel. “I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be Nick Fury. Maybe somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it. There seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world so [they're saying to me], ‘We’re not making that deal.’” Well, it turns out that hardball is a lucrative sport. Here’s the story from the trades, […]

        It’s a point of pride for Samuel L. Jackson that if you list every film in which he has starred or appeared and add up their box-office receipts, the collective total would be higher than any other on-screen actor in history. That might be some arcane career calculus, but it does speak to the 60-year-old actor’s crowded schedule and crowd-pleasing sensibility. On a recent afternoon, talking about his varied pursuits, Jackson began a sentence with, "In my spare time …" but couldn’t even finish the thought without laughing out loud. Jackson appeared in six films last year, and when discussing his upcoming ventures he has to pause to remember some of the titles and costars. Next up, though, is a project that is near and dear to his heart: "Afro Samurai: Resurrection," a two-hour animated film that […]

EXCLUSIVE AND UPDATED Samuel L. Jackson, clearly bristling, said today that negotiations to put him in the role of Nick Fury have broken down because "there seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world." Jackson told me today that despite his cameo as the hard-bitten military man at the end of "Iron Man," it now appears that "somebody else will be Nick Fury or maybe Nick Fury won’t be in it" when it comes to "Iron Man 2," "The First Avenger: Captain America" and "The Avengers," the announced slate of Marvel Studios projects through 2011 that might have a natural spot for the character. Jackson, who is a fanboy favorite after roles in three "Star Wars" films, "The Incredibles" and "Unbreakable," was actually used as the model for the Ultimate Marvel version of Fury, which took the […]