Samuel L. Jackson Shares Bruce Willis' Advice from Die Hard, Realized with MCU's Nick Fury Role

In a fascinating exchange of wisdom between two Hollywood legends, Samuel L. Jackson shared the invaluable advice he received from Bruce Willis during the filming of the 1994 action blockbuster, "Die Hard With a Vengeance." Willis, reflecting on his own career, imparted a crucial piece of advice to Jackson about the importance of having a signature character that fans adore, which can serve as a career safety net. "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,'" Jackson recounted in a special feature with Vanity Fair celebrating Willis' 70th birthday.

Willis used his own iconic characters as examples: "Arnold [Schwarzenegger]'s got Terminator. Sylvester [Stallone]'s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane." This advice resonated with Jackson years later when he landed the role of 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 reflected.

Jackson first introduced audiences to his portrayal of Nick Fury in a post-credits scene in 2008's "Iron Man." He fully embraced the role in 2010's "Iron Man 2" and has since reprised it in 10 films, three TV series, and two video games. His most recent performances as Nick Fury can be seen in the 2023 film "The Marvels," the series "Secret Invasion," and a voice role in the Season 2 finale of the animated series "Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur."

In a humorous reflection on his extensive contract with Marvel, Jackson shared his initial concerns about completing his nine-film deal. "I knew I had a nine-picture deal when Kevin [Feige] said, 'We wanna offer you a nine-picture deal.' I was like, 'How long I gotta stay alive to make nine movies?'" he told GQ in September 2024. He was surprised by the rapid pace of Marvel's production, noting, "It's not the quickest process in the world and people don't do it, so I didn't know they were gonna make nine movies in like two-and-a-half years. Which is kind of crazy. I was like 'Oh s—t, I'm using up my contracts!' but it worked out."