Samuel L. Jackson Teaching College Course: Sample Syllabus

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Samuel L. Jackson got a new gig.

The actor is set to take on a new real-life role of Professor Jackson this winter.

On Wednesday he confirmed his plans to teach an online course through MasterClass.

The 68-year-old who rose to fame in Spike Lee’s 1991 hit, Jungle Fever has played more than 100 roles during his 45-year career.

Shaft, Jackie Brown, The Avengers, Pulp Fiction, you name it, he’s in it. According to reports, the $90 MasterClass consists of over 20 video lessons and comes complete with a Q&A session for students.

“In my MasterClass, I hope students learn that there’s no limit to what they can make-believe,” Jackson said in a statement. “By the end, they’ll be able to walk into a room, present their best self, and be happy with the result.”

Below is a sample syllabus one might receive upon enrollment in this undoubtedly unmissable course.

Networking: Find a director who has your back.

Quentin Tarantino just gets me. He gets the essence of me. Find a collaborator who can find ways to get you into five of his most famous films and watch what happens. It’s a whole other level of creativity. From Pulp Fiction to Django to The Hateful Eight; I’m able to be play the exact same role in a totally different way. That’s some existenssial ish. 

Physicality: Perfect the eye-pop.

 Students will master the technique of eye-popping for dramatic effect. Useful in getting the mother fu%*ing snakes off the mother fu*%ing plane as well as delivering medieval ass-whoopins.

Role Selection: Villains are fun.

Playing the hero may sound like a dream, but there are far more benefits to being the bad guy. Once you play Iron Man you’re stuck for a lifetime but you can be bad as often as you want. Sky’s the limit. There are SO many ways to be a psychopathic, blood-thirsty, diabolical killer, but only a few ways to save the world. All you have to do is change the make up and master the evil laugh. Learn how to hold a gun and you’re golden.

Character Formation: Wear the wig.

While costuming may be an area you don’t expect to have much input in, there’s a lot you can do to ensure success in this department. The importance of hair cannot be underestimated. As you can see, wigs are your friend when cultivating a character and you must learn to properly wear the hell out of a front-lace. It’s also in your best interest to increase your pain threshold, as braiding should become part of your regular routine for sew-in prep. Otherwise, bite the bullet and go bald. It helps.

Those are just a few nuggets of knowledge one could expect to snatch up from the award-winning thespian. Even if acting isn’t your blessing you may learn a thing or two from the man who didn’t get his big break until he was 43-years old. There’s still time for all of us. Ask. Believe. Receive.

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