Oscars are considered the highest honor not just in Hollywood but across the global acting industry. Every year, millions across the world eagerly wait for the Academy Awards announcements. Until the winners are announced, even the nominations become a big deal. However, Samuel L. Jackson does not seem to agree with the hype.
The seasoned actor, who is known to hold no bars while expressing his opinions, is dropping truth bombs about the way Hollywood handles awards season. He argued that an Oscar nomination holds less value than it is presumed, while it’s only the win that counts. Here’s everything he said.
Samuel L. Jackson Tags The Excitement About Oscar Nominations A “Facade”
In a video interview with the Associated Press, Samuel L. Jackson shared his no-nonsense perspective about the hype around Oscar nominations. He called out the common phrase, “It’s just an honor to be nominated,” as nothing but a facade.
“We’ve been in the business long enough to know that when folks go, ‘It’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No it ain’t. It’s an honor to win,” the actor added during the interview.
Jackson, whose acting career spans decades, with iconic roles that shaped film history, reflected on how quickly people forget even Oscar-nominated performances. “You get nominated and people go, ‘Yeah I remember that.’ Or most people forget,” he laughed, pointing out how the prestige of a nomination often fades over time.
“Generally, it’s a contest you didn’t volunteer to be in. They nominate you, and people go, ‘What is that movie you’re nominated for? What’s the name of that thing?’ And after it’s over, people have a hard time remembering who even won,” the actor said.
Samuel L. Jackson Has Only Nominated Once For An Oscar
Oddly, given his extensive career, Samuel L. Jackson has only been nominated for one Oscar — back in 1995 for his iconic role in ‘Pulp Fiction‘. As a matter of fact, the honorary Academy Award received in 2021 by no means made Jackson doubt his deservingness of the prize since it “didn’t feel honorary,” he said, but really was.
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“I earned it. I worked for it,” he said to Vulture last summer, adding that “I possibly can name four other instances in which I could have won or should have won or should have been nominated but I’m okay with it. It’s mine. I got it. My name’s on it.”
One of those films is ‘Jackie Brown‘ (1997). Jackson singled it out as one of his performances that he felt was unfairly overlooked by the Academy. Given his legendary filmography, it’s easy to see why Jackson has more than a few bones to pick with how awards season often plays out.
