Not the same ol’ sam
Jackson brings us a new Fury in Captain Marvel
LOS ANGELES It’s midday and Samuel L. Jackson has had a long day battling the shape-shifting Skrulls on the set of Captain Marvel.
“I’m tired,” the 70-year-old says, slumping into a chair on a sound stage in Culver City. Motion capture dots line his face.
They’ll be used to give his character Nick Fury a makeover: Captain Marvel’s going to reintroduce fans to a younger version of Jackson’s Fury.
“I don’t even know what it’s going to look like,” he tells a group of international journalists visiting the set.
“I mean, they’ve (de-aged) Kurt (Russell in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). They’ve (de-aged) Michael Douglas (for Ant-Man). They say this is better ... but I don’t know.”
Q How is Nick Fury different in this movie?
A He’s not as cynical as he normally is. He hasn’t reached the point of distrusting his superiors. ... He has no idea that there are extraterrestrials. His job is to figure out where the next threat is coming from on the planet, and all of a sudden he finds out that there are aliens and they’re coming here. He’s got to figure out whether they’re fighting each other or whether they’re here as a threat to us. He’s also got to figure out a way to convince people above him that there are aliens. He also finds out that if there are aliens, then we need people like her, people who have powers, to fight them. So he’s young in that way ... Not as smart.
Q Can you give us some insight on your relationship with the directors?
A I’ve been here through 11 movies and this is their first one. It would be wise for them to take my input. But I sort of need them to remind me that I’m not the Nick Fury that I normally am this particular time. I haven’t matured ... and there are some things that I think, if I was the older Nick Fury, I would already know ... I sometimes need to be reminded that, “Well, you’re not that mature yet.”
Q Did you ever think that after appearing as Nick Fury in Iron Man in 2008 that you’d be here?
A I guess so. The technology was there. And nobody thought Star Wars would be Star Wars until it was Star Wars, and there it was. So I had been in that universe already. I kind of understood what they were doing. And they did sign me to a nine-picture deal when I did that, so I figured something was going to happen. I didn’t realize it was going to happen as fast as it did, you know? When somebody says, “We want you to make nine movies.” It’s, “Oh, how long do I have to stay alive to make that happen?” ... But (Marvel) has a great playbook. They know how to make it fun. They know how to make it exciting. They know how to make it human.
Q Can we talk about the relationship between Nick and Carol?
A He realizes there’s a human element to her that touches him. And he understands not knowing who you are and where you fit in, and he helps her figure out that part of the puzzle in her life . ... They don’t have a buddy fight, but they do fight people off and life-and-death situations happen. So they gain a level of trust through their time together.
Q Brie told us about the trepidation that she had in taking on this role. Did you understand where she was at?
A Well, it’s a different fan base. Things work differently in fantasy films ... I mean, she’s great in
Room. She’s great in Kong. She’s had her chance to do comedy in that Amy Schumer movie (Trainwreck) ... and she’s a serious actress. When you come into this thing that is the Marvel Universe, where people hero worship, things do change, and there is a certain expectation I think that people have of actors that come into these movies because of what’s gone on before. She’s had a good opportunity to talk to at least one real female member of this thing — Scarlett (Johansson) — and (learn) how she’s handled it and how it’s worked for her. But she’s in charge of this movie herself. She is the thing, and it’s going to change her life dramatically in an interesting sort of way. You know, it’s like when I did Pulp Fiction ... everybody found out who I was ... But I was doing Die Hard (with a Vengeance) and Bruce (Willis) said, “This movie is going to change your life,” and that’s the movie that changed my life. (Laughs) She won’t be able to carry herself around the way she used to ever again after this.
Q You mentioned being signed for nine movies. Looking back, are you surprised at how successful the MCU has been?
A Marvel figured out a way to make these movies that those other guys haven’t quite figured out. Like I said, the Marvel playbook works.
It has the right amount of comedy. It has the right amount of adventure. It has the right amount of super qualities and the right amount of mystery for people to live in it and understand it and attach themselves to those characters in very real ways. There is something for almost everybody in the Marvel universe.
Q Do you have a favourite Marvel film?
A Well, any of ’em I’m in. But I loved (Captain America) The Winter Soldier. mdaniell@postmedia.com