Making money at the box office is the name of the game, and the biggest stars in Hollywood all do this better than the rest of the pack. Getting in with one franchise, like the MCU, is a great way to do it, but some actors can even link up with multiple franchises.
Samuel L. Jackson has worked with massive franchises like the Jurassic Park franchise and the unstoppable Pixar machine, and this has led to a ton of success. Early on in his career, however, he was taking smaller roles.
Let's look back at Jackson's career and his time in an Eddie Murphy classic.
Samuel L. Jackson Is A Legend
Samuel L Jackson is the definition of a major star, and he is someone who genuinely does not need an introduction. Simply put, Jackson has been in countless hit films throughout the years, and he has been able to turn in exceptional performances that have seen him garner a ton of critical acclaim.
Need proof that the man has been a huge success? Well, according to Mental Floss, Jackson is the highest-grossing box office performer of all time.
"Getting in on the ground floor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has paid off for Samuel L. Jackson, but that’s not the only major franchise that’s contributed to his top spot on this list: Star Wars, The Incredibles, and Jurassic Park helped secure his position, too," the site writes.
Thanks to being in movies that have grossed over $7 billion domestically, it is safe to say that few come close to matching his success.
Of course, things weren't always this way for Jackson
It Jackson A Long Time To Become A Star
Not unlike a number of other performers in the entertainment industry, Jackson was not an immediate success in film or on television. Instead, it took him quite some time to finally find his footing in the business. Once he got his chance to shine, however, he was able to stand out in a number of projects and catch on with audiences.
What some may not know is that sobriety played a huge part in him making huge strides in his career.
"Two weeks after Jackson got out of rehab, director Spike Lee offered him a role in his next movie, Jungle Fever. What’s funny is that Jackson played a cocaine addict in the film, so he didn’t have to do much research for the role. But it was a role that got Jackson noticed by a lot of other prominent figures in Hollywood," writes Ventura Recovery Center.
From there, Jackson would start landing bigger and bigger roles, and before he knew it, he was a star.
It's been an amazing journey for Jackson, but looking back is always important. In fact, a look back will reveal that Jackson was in an Eddie Murphy classic long before he was a household name.
He Had A Small Role In 'Coming To America'
So, which Eddie Murphy classic did Samuel L. Jackson have a role in long before he was one of the most popular actors in the world? Turns out, Jackson had a small but memorable role in the film Coming to America, which was a sizable hit for Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall back in the day.
During the scene, Jackson's character is trying to rob a McDowell's, but Eddie Murphy's character is able to utilize his martial arts experience to thwart his robbery attempt. It even leads to a hilarious line being delivered by Arsenio Hall. Little did people know at the time that the guy playing the robber would go onto have such a successful career in Hollywood.
Unfortunately, Jackson would not appear in the sequel to Coming to America, and Eddie Murphy explained why this was the case and what Jackson's character would have been doing in the sequel film.
According to Murphy, "Sam Jackson as you know is constantly working Sam is working on something right this second.”
"That was actually the scene, where there was an old McDowell’s and he was still robbing the spot 30 years later. We couldn’t get the schedules to line up," he added.
This would have been truly hilarious for fans of the original to see, and it is a shame that schedules simply weren't able to line up for the cameo.
Even though Samuel L. Jackson did not appear in the sequel to Coming to America, his inclusion in the original is something that makes it even more special after all these years.
