Bruce Willis gave Samuel L. Jackson some sage career advice when they were making Die Hard with a Vengeance together. The film became a defining action thriller of the 1990s and cemented both actors as Hollywood action stars.
Jackson starred opposite the Hollywood action man in the 1995 movie — the third film in the Die Hard series featuring Willis’ character John McClane — and he’s revealed his co-star told him to find a character he could fall back on if his films start to bomb at the box office. Their on-screen chemistry helped make the film a standout entry in the popular franchise.
“He told me: ‘Hopefully, you’ll be able to find a character that, when you make bad movies and they don’t make any money, you can always go back to this character everybody loves,’ ” the actor explained to Vanity Fair magazine.
“He said: ‘Arnold’s [Schwarzenegger] got Terminator. Sylvester’s [Stallone] got Rocky, Rambo. I’ve got John McClane.'” These iconic characters have become cultural touchstones in action cinema history.
Jackson revealed his reaction to the advice was: “Oh, okay” but years later he realized he had done exactly what Willis had told him to be landing the role of Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film series. The role would transform Jackson’s career trajectory in Hollywood.
Jackson follows advice with Nick Fury
“It didn’t occur to me until I got that Nick Fury role — and I had a nine-picture deal to be Nick Fury — that: ‘Oh, I’m doing what Bruce said. I’ve got this character now,’ ” he added. This multi-film contract was unprecedented at the time and set a new standard for actor engagements in franchise filmmaking.
Jackson previously revealed he was shocked to have landed a nine-picture deal with Marvel and worried he might not live long enough to see out the contract. The commitment represented a significant portion of his later career.
“How long do you have to stay alive to make nine movies? It’s not the quickest process in the world. I didn’t know they were going to make nine movies in like two and a half years. That’s kind of crazy,” he told GQ magazine. His concerns proved unfounded as he successfully fulfilled the contract over the years.
Willis made five Die Hard movies with the series ending with A Good Day to Die Hard in 2013 before he retired from acting in 2022 after he was diagnosed with language disorder aphasia and later frontotemporal dementia. His iconic character John McClane remains one of cinema’s most beloved action heroes.
Jackson played Avengers chief Fury in more than 10 Marvel films, and he previously admitted he was happy starring in big-budget comic book movies rather than trying to win Oscars. This choice reflected his personal values as an entertainer rather than a prestige-focused actor.
“I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor,” he told the Los Angeles Times newspaper. “My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I’m doing? I’m not doing statue-chasing movies.”
Jackson: ‘I’d rather be Nick Fury’
“You know: ‘If you do this movie, you’ll win an Oscar.’ No, thanks. I’d rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being [‘Star Wars’ character] Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand.” This philosophy has guided his career choices throughout decades in Hollywood.
The career advice from Willis proved invaluable, as Jackson’s Nick Fury character has become one of his most recognizable roles. The wisdom shared between colleagues demonstrates the mentorship that sometimes happens behind the scenes in Hollywood productions.
Jackson’s most recent appearance as Nick Fury came in the Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” where he took on a leading role that expanded the character’s backstory significantly. The series gave him an opportunity to explore new dimensions of the character he had been playing for years.
The friendship between Jackson and Willis has spanned decades, with both actors representing a generation of action stars who helped define modern blockbuster cinema. Their collaborative work helped shape action filmmaking and established templates that continue to influence the genre today.
