Samuel L. Jackson on tunnettu ja tuottelias näyttelijä, mutta varsinaista Oscar-palkintoa hänelle ei ole koskaan myönnetty. Ehdokkaanakin hän on ollut vain kerran.
Los Angeles Timesille asiasta puhunut Jackson kertoi, että hän pitää mieluummin hauskaa valitsemissaan rooleissa kuin jahtaa Oscar-palkintoja.
"As jaded as I wanted to be about it, you know thinking, 'Well, I should have won an Oscar for this or should have won for that and it didn't happen,' once I got over it many years ago, it wasn't a big deal for me. I always have fun going to the Oscars. I always look forward to getting a gift basket for being a presenter. [Laughs] I give stuff to my relatives; my daughter and my wife would take stuff out. It's cool."
Jackson continued, "But otherwise, I was past it. I was never going to let the Oscars be a measure of my success or failure as an actor. My yardstick of success is my happiness: Am I satisfied with what I'm doing? I'm not doing statue-chasing movies. You know [whispers]: '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."