Samuel L. Jackson has the persona of a no-nonsense uncle everyone loves.
One reporter got a taste of his brusque attitude during a red-carpet chat last week.
His blunt delivery, sharp tongue, and skillful use of profanity often mirror the tough characters he plays on screen. The actor never seems to struggle to find the right words — even when those words come with a few F-bombs.
From Jules Winnfield in “Pulp Fiction” to Coach Ken Carter in “Coach Carter,” Jackson has built a career on commanding roles and making sure everyone sees and hears him.
The 77-year-old is promoting his action thriller film “The Beast,” in which he portrays an American president fighting an anonymous militia targeting the United States.
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Jackson joined his co-stars, Joel Kinnaman and Guy Burnet, in Los Angeles for the Oct. 6 premiere of the film when he had an unexpected interaction with a reporter.
Hollywood Reeltime reporter Simone Boyce had caught up to Jackson on the red carpet at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
She suggested she do her best impression of Jackson in front of his face, which earned a brutal reaction from the “Shaft” star.
Boyce started by asking Jackson if he’s met someone who does a good imitation of him.
“Uh, not really,” Jackson responded before admitting, “Jamie Foxx thinks he does. But no.”
Foxx often praises Jackson’s performance in their 2012 film “Django” for his ability to switch in and out of character. During his recent interview on “Baby This Is Keke Palmer,” Foxx had the host hollering after doing his version of the Samuel Jackson impression.
It’s unclear whether Jackson saw that clip or one the comedian did in other interviews; Jackson doesn’t think Foxx nailed it.
But Boyce felt she could handle it and follow Foxx’s great acting chops.
“I — I think I could do one maybe,” she said. Looking into her eyes, Jackson asked, “You think you can?”
When she confirmed, Jackson, with an unconvinced tone, said, “Why? Why you think that?”
With a shrug, the reporter admitted that she had been “practicing” and was ready to show off her impersonation skills.
In a challenging tone, the “Coach Carter” actor urged her to do her best. But that’s not what came out.
Boyce went on to imitate Johnson’s infamous line from his 2006 film “Snakes on a Plane,” where he says, “I’ve had it with these motherf-cking snakes on this motherf-cking plane.”
Jackson kept blinking hard at the reporter and stayed silent for a few seconds before he let Boyce have it.
“I thought you were going to do an impression of me?,” he asked.
When Boyce called it an impression, Jackson interjected to say, “You were doing an impression of a bad actor trying to do a bad impression of me. That was great if that’s what you were doing.”
He said, “But if you were really trying to do an impression of me that was f—g horrible.”
Boyce apologized before the video was cut. In the comments, fans couldn’t help but react to the clip.
One person encouraging the reporter said, “Just a little more practice Simone lol.”
Another fan who was tickled by the video said, ‘I. Am. SCREAMING. Girl, why you do that???” A third person with mixed feelings commented, “Omg cringe but I love it.”
Boyce also commented under the clip, “I think he hates me,” with a laughing emoji.
The 38-year-old was truly a good sport after that hilarious moment. She made extra videos making fun of herself and mocking the moment.
Days later, on Oct. 8, Boyce posted a video of herself walking into the Hollywood Reeltime office, slightly hiding behind her hand.
In small letters, she wrote “Showing my face on television again after getting cussed out by Samuel L. Jackson.”
That same day she posted another video of herself acting out the words to overlay audio that said, “Like, oh, let’s make fun of the girl who took a risk and put herself out there creatively.”
In slow motion, she shared a few seconds of her impression video of Jackson again before the clip ended. In the caption, she wrote a telling message to herself, “She was remembered for her courage.”
Jackson’s “The Beast” was released on Oct. 9.
