Samstats

I bow to no one in my admiration for Samuel L. Jackson. As far as I'm concerned, his performance in Pulp Fiction was the greatest job anyone did onscreen in the 1990s. But that's no reason to exaggerate his success.

This Monday he will leave his hand and footprints at Mann's Chinese Theatre. In an article about the ceremony, it's noted "[h]is films have grossed more money in box office sales than any other actor in the history of filmmaking."

Let's unpack this. Now there's no doubt Jackson is popular, but, box office-wise, he's no Tom Cruise or Denzel Washington. He's had a few hits where he's the lead, but all his smashes were where he was in a supporting role, sometimes quite a small one at that.

He's appeared in supporting roles in hit films such as Unbreakable, XXX, a Die Hard sequel and Patriot Games. He's also been in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and The Incredibles. But what really puts him over the top is his appearance as Mace Windu, a relatively small part, in episodes I through III of Star Wars.

Compare this to, say, Harrison Ford, who had a leading role not only in the original Star Wars trilogy, but was the star in the Indiana Jones trilogy, as well as The Fugitive, Air Force One, Witness, Patriot Games, among other hits. Now that's star power.