Samuel L. Jackson shared the story behind his casting as Mace Windu in the Star Wars franchise.
Samuel L. Jackson landed his role as Mace Windu in the Star Wars universe by casually expressing his interest in joining the franchise during a talk show appearance.
- After publicly mentioning his desire to work with George Lucas and be in a Star Wars movie, Jackson received a call from Lucas himself, leading to him being offered the role of Mace Windu.
- Although Mace Windu was killed off in Revenge of the Sith, Jackson believes there is a possibility for the character to return in a significant way in the future, noting the history of characters with one hand returning in Star Wars.
- A fleeting comment on a talk show appearance directly led to Samuel L. Jackson landing a Jedi role in the Star Wars universe. During a recent Vulture interview, Jackson remembers how he was able to land his role as Mace Windu in Star Wars lore. As it turns out, it all comes down to publicly mentioning his interest in joining the franchise. Jackson explains, “I remember I was on some British talk show and they asked me if there were any directors I wanted to work with I hadn’t worked with. I go, ‘Yeah, George Lucas. I’d love to be in a Star Wars movie.’ Then I go off and I’m doing Sphere in Vallejo with Dustin [Hoffman] and Sharon Stone and I get a call. ‘George Lucas would like to meet you. He hears you want to be in his Star Wars movie.'” From there, Jackson would be offered the role of Mace Windu. He first appeared in the role in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, going on to return in the direct sequels Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005. Jackson would also voice an animated version of Mace Windu for Star Wars: The Clone Wars and had a voice cameo in the 2019 movie Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Sadly for the character, he was killed off in Revenge of the Sith, but Jackson hasn’t given up on seeing Mace Windu return in a big way one day. Last year, the actor was on the Happy Sad Confused podcast doing an interview when he addressed the possibility of the Jedi Master returning to Star Wars. From his point of view, Jackson believes that there are ways the character could be brought back, noting, “There’s a huge history of people with one hand returning in Star Wars.” Meanwhile, Jackson still has a large presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his role as Nick Fury. He reprised the role for the new series Secret Invasion on Disney+ and will again return in the theatrical film The Marvels, coming to theaters in November. Jackson will also voice a role in an upcoming Garfield reboot movie and is part of Matthew Vaughn’s ensemble cast for the upcoming spy thriller Argylle. Source: Vulture