Key Points
Bruce Willis advised Jackson during 1994's 'Die Hard' shoot
Willis mentioned iconic characters like Terminator and Rocky
Jackson realized the advice when becoming Nick Fury
Jackson values happiness over awards like the Oscars
"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," shared Jackson in an interview celebrating Willis' 70th birthday, reported Deadline.
"He said, 'Arnold's got Terminator. Sylvester's got Rocky, Rambo. I've got John McClane.' I'm like, 'Oh, okay.' And 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."
Jackson went on to star in a dozen Marvel films as Nick Fury, starting with 2008's Iron Man. He went on to play Fury in Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and, most recently, 2023's The Marvels. The films made around 12.8 billion dollars at the box office.
Jackson earlier shared that he was not interested in receiving awards for his work, according to Deadline.
"I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor," he said. "My yardstick of success is my happiness"
"Am I satisfied with what I'm doing? I'm not doing statue-chasing movies," he continued. "'If you do this movie, you'll win an Oscar.' No, thanks. I'd rather be Nick Fury. Or having fun being Mace Windu with a lightsaber in my hand." Jackson later again teamed up with Willis in 2000's Unbreakable, reported Deadline.
