Why Samuel L. Jackson Is Happier Playing Mace Windu And Nick Fury Than Winning An Oscar

For as long as Samuel L. Jackson has been in the business and with as many unforgettable roles under his belt as he has, it's patently absurd to think that the actor has never once won an Oscar outside of an honorary one finally bestowed upon him at this year's Oscars (the actual acceptance of which, uh, didn't even air on live television). All he has to show for his efforts over the decades, at least in the eyes of the Academy, is a Best Supporting Actor nod in 1995 for "Pulp Fiction." That's it.

Despite the rest of us gawking over how much of an injustice that is, there's one person who simply isn't even pressed about it anymore: that would be Samuel L. Jackson himself, of course. If it were any other actor claiming that, I probably wouldn't believe them for a second. But Jackson, who effortlessly projects that ultra-cool persona without being bothered by a thing, somehow makes it sound believable. In an interview with Variety, the acting legend had this to say about it.

"As jaded as I wanted to be about it, you know, thinking, 'Well, I should have won an Oscar for this or should have won for that and it didn't happen,' once I got over it many years ago, it wasn't a big deal for me. I always have fun going to the Oscars. I always look forward to getting a gift basket for being a presenter. [Laughs] I give stuff to my relatives; my daughter and my wife would take stuff out. It's cool ... But otherwise, I was past it."

Luckily, the Academy Awards probably need the one-of-a-kind star power that Samuel L. Jackson brings ... not the other way around. It's not like the icon has just sat on his hands over the years — he's only added to his legacy with roles in movies such as "Jurassic Park," "Hard Eight," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," "Unbreakable," a whole host of Quentin Tarantino movies, and blockbuster giants like the "Star Wars" prequels and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, it's these latter two roles that he specifically invokes when addressing the kinds of roles he'd rather pick at this point in his storied career.

"I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor. My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I'm doing? I'm not doing statue-chasing movies. You know [whispers]: 'If you do this movie, you'll win an Oscar.' No, thanks. I'd rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand."

Jackson has absolutely nothing to prove these days, and he knows it. The actor is obviously self-aware enough to acknowledge that, frankly, he really should've won for "Pulp Fiction" and many other performances, as well. But even if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sees differently, he's fully content to continue having fun wielding that purple lightsaber (which he still wants to do again someday!) or carousing around as the eyepatch-wearing Nick Fury in the MCU. More power to him, I say!