Samuel L. Jackson’s 2012 Western movie co-star thinks the oft-snubbed actor should have received an Oscar for his performance in the Quentin Tarantino film. The veteran film star seems like he should have a whole trophy-case full of Academy Awards by now, but to date, Jackson has received only one in-compeтιтion Oscar nomination, his single trophy coming in 2021 when he received an honorary award for his body of work.

The list of Jackson movies that should have earned him an Oscar, or at least a nomination, is very long indeed. He received his first trip to the nominees’ table for 1994’s Pulp Fiction, losing on Oscar night. Jackson has given many other acclaimed performances over the years – in movies like Jungle Fever, Jackie Brown, A Time to Kill, The Caveman’s Valentine, Coach Carter, The Hateful Eight, and others – but those showings did not sway the Academy enough to wrrant even a nomination.

Jamie Foxx Thinks Jackson Should’ve Won An Oscar For Django Unchained

Christoph Waltz Beat Out His Castmates

2012’s bloody revenge tale Django Unchained features Jackson teamed for a fifth time with Tarantino, this time in the role of Stephen, an enslaved person whose servile manner hides a deviously cunning nature, making him the secret puppetmaster behind Leonardo DiCaprio’s slimy Calvin Candie. The Academy did indeed take note of Tarantino’s over-the-top spaghetti Western, giving it five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Jackson’s co-star Christoph Waltz even walked away with Best Supporting Actor, while Jackson himself was snubbed once again.

Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx worked closely with Waltz, playing bounty hunter King Schultz’s vengeance-seeking protege-turned-partner, but Foxx was ultimately more impressed with Jackson, insisting the role of Stephen should have garnered SLJ that elusive first Academy Award (via Vanity Fair):

And Samuel Jackson was better than all of us. He should’ve got an Oscar. The way he would turn it on and turn it off. … [Watching him act I thought] this motherf—er is a alien. I was waiting on him to [rip the mask off], but that’s what the level was in this incredible movie.

Our Take On Foxx Thinking Jackson Should Have Won For Django Unchained

It’s One Of Jackson’s Showier Performances

Foxx almost certainly means no disrespect to Django Unchained co-star Waltz, whose King Schultz performance won him his second Oscar, the first coming for his role in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. He simply means to praise Jackson, whose work in Django was overlooked by the Academy, despite being, in Foxx’s eyes, almost otherworldly in its brilliance.

That alien-like talent of Jackson’s became evident to Foxx, he says, while watching the actor turn his character on and off like flipping a switch. Had enough Academy members witnessed Jackson flashing his skills in this way, perhaps he would have gotten at least a nomination. Voters judge things by the finished project, however, and what they saw from Jackson onscreen was not enough to warrant recognition.

It’s arguable whether Jackson’s work in Django Unchained deserves enshrinement alongside his very best performances. Jackson is memorable in the film, but his performance is incredibly broad, verging on caricature. It may have been Tarantino’s intention to make Stephen a cartoon villain, and if so, Jackson delivered what was asked. A more nuanced portrayal might have met with a warmer reception from the Academy, but might not have been right for the film. What isn’t arguable is that, by now, Jackson should have received at least one real Oscar, and it’s perplexing that he still hasn’t.

Source: Vanity Fair