In the world of cinema, legends often share wisdom that shapes careers. Samuel L. Jackson once shared a valuable piece of advice he received from Bruce Willis while filming the 1994 action blockbuster, Die Hard With a Vengeance. Willis imparted a sage piece of advice that Jackson would later realize was prophetic.

"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 an interview with Vanity Fair during a special feature celebrating Willis’ 70th birthday. Willis went on to explain that this was the strategy of other action stars: "Arnold [Schwarzenegger]’s got Terminator. Sylvester [Stallone]’s got Rocky and Rambo. I’ve got John McClane." This advice didn't fully resonate with Jackson until he landed the role of Nick Fury.

Jackson first stepped into the shoes of Nick Fury with a cameo in the post-credits scene of 2008's Iron Man. He fully embraced the character in 2010's Iron Man 2 and has since reprised the role in a total of 10 films, three TV series, and two video games. His latest performances as Nick Fury can be seen in the 2023 film The Marvels, the series Secret Invasion, and he even lent his voice to the Season 2 finale of the animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.

Reflecting on his journey with Marvel, Jackson humorously shared with GQ in September 2024 his initial concerns about completing his nine-picture contract before his time ran out. "I knew I had a nine-picture deal when Kevin [Feige] said, he was like, ‘We wanna offer you a nine-picture deal’ I was like, 'How long I gotta stay alive to make nine movies?'" he recalled. He was surprised by the rapid pace of Marvel's production, stating, "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."

This advice from Willis not only shaped Jackson's career but also highlighted the importance of having a beloved character to fall back on in the unpredictable world of Hollywood.