In a shocking Today Show interview Monday morning, actor Samuel L. Jackson made public his refusal to act in any movie not including the word "Snake" in the title. The announcement came just days after Jackson turned down the part of Martin Luther King, Jr. in a new film to be directed by Stephen Spielberg. The star of such classics as Pulp Fiction and Deep Blue Sea reportedly beat out Denzel Washington and Isaiah Thomas for the monumental role, but cited personal reasons for turning it down.
"I don't feel that playing Martin Luther King, Jr will thrill my fans to the extent my previous roles have," claimed Jackson later in the interview. "When during the Civil Rights Movement did Dr. King fight multiple snakes? Or even one snake, God Dammit?!" Movie critics seem to understand Jackson's logic, but skeptics remain and the internet has already exploded with controversy over Jackson's decision.
Civil Rights Historian and blogger Karl Wistler sees Jackson's decision as "selfish" and "unintelligible," claiming his previous roles were too far-fetched to gain him any credibility in the acting community. According to Wistler America needs superior acting like Jackson's to truly appreciate the role the Civil Rights Movement played in shaping the country. A recent People magazine article seems to support this thesis, pointing to Jackson's characters in Star Wars and 1408 as "fictitious" and "probably not based on real-life people."
Despite the negative press Jackson has received, the superstar is not lacking any support as the Samuel L. Jackson fansite (ichokebitches.com) has received more hits this week than any other since its creation by Jackson himself nearly two decades ago. "I've got my fans, God Dammit!" the star shouted out of his car window as he drove past a small child on a tricycle.
While most fans have used the comment board feature of the site to tirelessly quote Snakes on a Plane, a few individuals - likely deprived of sex, alcohol, and their hands - have taken the opportunity to offer philosophical debates on why Jackson might make such a monumental decision. According to saywhatagainXOXO, "Mr. Jackson's dialogue in Pulp Fiction was more profound than either Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. By binding himself with the snake, he is offering an explanation for the existence of man." Jackson, himself, responded to the post only twelve seconds later with one of his own stating, "Shut the fuck up, God Dammit!"
friend and The Man co-star Eugene Levy sympathizes with Jackson's decision. "He [Jackson] made a lot of money with his snake movies (Snakes on a Plane and Black Snake Moan). Who can blame him for wanting to keep that high going?"
But what began as a reasonable career choice may be turning into an obsession. A press release from Jackson's agent, Samuel L. Jackson, details plans for all of Jackson's current movies to be re-released with "Snake" replacing parts of the title. "We have seen a trend," said Jackson, "that America wants to see me in movies with snakes, God Dammit! Deep Blue Snake, bitch!"
Immediate re-releases will include Star Wars (Snake Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Snakace; Episode II: Atack of the Snakes; Episode III: Revenge of the Snake), XXX (SnakeSnakeSnake; Snake of the Union), Unbreakable (Unsnakeable), A Time to Kill (A Snake to Kill), 1408 (1408 Snakes) - "What could be more exciting than 1408 snakes, God Dammit!" Jackson questioned as he spit on a puppy for not being a snake - and Shaft (Snake).
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