Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” is picking up plenty of early Oscar buzz, but Samuel L. Jackson isn’t impressed.
In remarks at Dubai International Film Festival on Thursday, where he was being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, Jackson took aim at the politics of Oscar season, and wondered aloud about the hype surrounding “Manchester by the Sea.”
After a riff about wanting to let the audience get away from their lives for a couple hours and “come in here and escape that in a big dark room,” Jackson called out what he saw as the overly political — and hypocritical — awards season for what’s ultimately the entertainment business.
“The politics of what happens during this time of year is very interesting in Hollywood,” he said. “The movies they choose to say are amazing and great, you know — ‘Manchester by the Sea,’ oh my god, you must see it, it’s an amazing film!’ But, ehh, I guess it is — to somebody.”
“It’s not an inclusive film, you know what I mean?” Jackson continued. “And I’m sure that ‘Moonlight’ will be thought of the same way. They’ll say, ‘Well, that’s a black movie. Where are the white people?’ We’ll say the same thing about ‘Manchester by the Sea.'”
Jackson was also less than enthused with the schmaltziness of movies he sees as clearly intended to tug at the heartstrings of awards voters, singling out Will Smith’s “Collateral Beauty” as another one with an overly saccharine message.
“There are all these ‘Oscar bait’ movies. I was looking at the trailer for this Will Smith movie the other day and I’m like, really? It’s another one of those, ‘Oh my God, life is so wonderful, take time to sniff the roses.'”
Jackson said those are fine for people who are into that kind of stuff — but don’t expect him to use his acting to further any agendas.
“My politics are my politics,” Jackson said. “I don’t use my politics onscreen. I use my voice as who I am.”
An attendee provided audio of Jackson’s comments to TheWrap.
New 'Hateful Eight' Images: Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell Face Off, Bruce Dern Cringes (Photos)
New images from Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Western "The Hateful Eight" show Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson facing off in what appears to be a very tense moment.
The photo featuring bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) aiming a rifle on Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) were released as part of the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which hits newsstands on Friday. The cover, released Thursday, was the first Tarantino fans had seen of the cast in costume.
The film follows eight gunslingers in the Old West who get trapped in a cabin together when a fierce blizzard hits. In addition to Russell and Jackson, the film also stars Michael Madsen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir and Walton Goggins.
Another photo, which offers the first look at Oscar nominee Dern ("Nebraska") in character, suggests there will be singing involved, and Dern's character won't like it.
Tarantino almost scrapped the project altogether after the script leaked online. However, he reconsidered after a live-table read, where the cast got an overwhelmingly positive reception.
See two more images below. Click here to see the rest of the photos or pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
The Only 8 Western Comedies That Hollywood Has Made Since 1990 (Photos)
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
Wild Wild West - Warner Bros 1999. Worldwide Box Office: $355,390,641
Wagons East! - Sony 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $8,581,812
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold - Columbia 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $84,844,038
Almost Heroes - Warner Bros 1998. Worldwide Box Office: $10,638,089
City Slickers - Sony 1991. Worldwide Box Office: $345,735,088
Maverick - Warner Bros 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $355,991,445
Back to the Future Part III - Universal 1990. Worldwide Box Office: $469,978,546
1 of 8
The western has been a major movie genre since Hollywood’s inception, but the western comedy has rarely been a central player. These are the movies that have earned a greenlight over the past couple decades.
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
The next Quentin Tarantino film follows eight Wild West gunslingers trapped in a snowbound cabin
New images from Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Western "The Hateful Eight" show Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson facing off in what appears to be a very tense moment.
The photo featuring bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) aiming a rifle on Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) were released as part of the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which hits newsstands on Friday. The cover, released Thursday, was the first Tarantino fans had seen of the cast in costume.
The film follows eight gunslingers in the Old West who get trapped in a cabin together when a fierce blizzard hits. In addition to Russell and Jackson, the film also stars Michael Madsen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir and Walton Goggins.
Another photo, which offers the first look at Oscar nominee Dern ("Nebraska") in character, suggests there will be singing involved, and Dern's character won't like it.
Tarantino almost scrapped the project altogether after the script leaked online. However, he reconsidered after a live-table read, where the cast got an overwhelmingly positive reception.
See two more images below. Click here to see the rest of the photos or pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
The Only 8 Western Comedies That Hollywood Has Made Since 1990 (Photos)
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
Wild Wild West - Warner Bros 1999. Worldwide Box Office: $355,390,641
Wagons East! - Sony 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $8,581,812
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold - Columbia 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $84,844,038
Almost Heroes - Warner Bros 1998. Worldwide Box Office: $10,638,089
City Slickers - Sony 1991. Worldwide Box Office: $345,735,088
Maverick - Warner Bros 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $355,991,445
Back to the Future Part III - Universal 1990. Worldwide Box Office: $469,978,546
1 of 8
The western has been a major movie genre since Hollywood’s inception, but the western comedy has rarely been a central player. These are the movies that have earned a greenlight over the past couple decades.
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
