In a recent interview, Hollywood veteran Samuel L. Jackson shared his candid thoughts on Oscar nominations, suggesting that they don’t hold as much weight as most people believe. While many actors and industry insiders often describe being nominated as an “honour,” Jackson firmly disagrees, stating that the real recognition comes with winning the prestigious award.

A Single Oscar Nomination in 1995

Jackson, best known for his role as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has only been nominated for an Oscar once in his career. In 1995, he received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Despite his long and successful career, the actor has never taken home an Oscar, though he was awarded an honorary Academy Award in 2021, a recognition for his extraordinary contributions to cinema.

‘It’s an Honour to Win’

In a video interview with the Associated Press, Jackson expressed his belief that Oscar nominations are overrated. Speaking alongside actor Michael Potts while promoting their film The Piano Lesson, Jackson candidly stated,

“We’ve been in the business long enough to know that when folks go, ‘It’s just an honour to be nominated.’ No it ain’t. It’s an honour to win.”

He elaborated on how most Oscar nominations are quickly forgotten, with even some Oscar winners fading from public memory over time. According to Jackson, the public often struggles to recall who was nominated, let alone who actually took home the statue.

“You get nominated and folks go, ‘Yeah I remember that.’ Or most people forget,” he added. “Generally it’s a contest you didn’t volunteer to be in. I didn’t go in there so I could flex. ‘Let me do my scene, so you can remember who I was.’ They nominate you and people go, ‘What is that movie you’re nominated for? What’s the name of that thing?’”

Reflections on His Career and the Oscars

Despite his extensive body of work, Jackson has only received one Oscar nomination, a fact he has openly reflected on over the years. In previous interviews, Jackson admitted that he felt slighted by the Academy’s decision not to nominate him for a role in Joel Schumacher’s 1996 legal drama A Time to Kill, a performance he believed deserved recognition.

In 2022, Jackson also discussed the 1995 Best Supporting Actor race, where he lost to Martin Landau, who won for his performance in Ed Wood. Jackson believed that he was the more deserving candidate for the award, citing his impactful role in Pulp Fiction.

While Jackson remains unsatisfied with the lack of a competitive Oscar win, he emphasized that the honorary Academy Award he received in 2021 felt significant, explaining that it didn’t feel like a mere honorary gesture but more like a long-awaited achievement in its own right.

“It didn’t feel honorary,” Jackson told Vulture last year. “It just felt like I was getting an Oscar.”

Oscar Nominations and Public Memory

Jackson’s comments resonate with the broader conversation about how the Oscar race often overlooks lasting performances in favour of more immediate buzz. Many nominations are indeed forgotten by the public after the ceremony, and even the winners’ names can be overshadowed by the passing of time. Jackson’s perspective emphasizes the fleeting nature of public attention and the difficulty of maintaining a legacy purely through nominations.

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