Samuel L. Jackson believes it's high time to discard the pretense during awards season. "We've been around in this industry long enough to understand that when people say, 'It's just an honor to be nominated,' they're not being entirely truthful," Jackson declared in an Associated Press video. "Winning is what truly holds the honor."
He further elaborated that the majority of individuals tend to forget about Oscar-nominated performances, and even some winners fade into obscurity. "You get nominated, and people say, 'Yeah, I remember that.' But most often, they forget," he chuckled. "This is generally a competition you didn't sign up for. I didn't step into it to showcase my skills. 'Let me deliver my scene so you'll remember who I am.' You get nominated, and people ask, 'What movie was that for again? What's the title of that thing?' After it's all over, people struggle to recall even the winner."
Despite his celebrated and illustrious career, Jackson has only received a single Oscar nomination – in 1995 for his role in Pulp Fiction. In 2021, he was awarded an honorary Academy Award, which he told Vulture last summer "didn't feel honorary at all" and "felt like I was receiving a genuine Oscar." "I earned it. I worked for it," he continued. "I can count at least four other instances where I could have, should have, or ought to have been nominated or won, but I'm content with it. It's mine. I've got it. My name is on it." During the interview, he also mentioned 1997's Jackie Brown as one of the films he felt was overlooked in terms of recognition.
