Samuel L. Jackson on how he plays a badass in ‘Kong: Skull Island’

If anyone can take on King Kong and live to tell the tale, it's Samuel L. Jackson...

Mar 10, 2017

If anyone can take on King Kong and live to tell the tale, it’s Samuel L. Jackson.

Jackson plays Lieutenant Colonel Preston Packard, a no-holds barred helicopter squadron leader who makes it his mission to defeat Kong on Skull Island.

“[The role] was pretty much a no-brainer,” Jackson told Entertainment Studios‘ Jon Kelley recently. “When somebody finally said, ‘Umm, they want to talk to you about being in ‘King Kong’ — I was like, ‘Talk to me about it? I’m down; let’s do it.’ It’s one of those movies I would have gone to see when I was a kid. To be able to go see it with me in it is a bonus.”

The film, Kong: Skull Island, hits theaters today. It’s a familiar and undeniable role for Jackson, an Oscar nominee and one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.

So how does he continually and successfully play a badass on screen?

“The key to playing a tough guy is confidence,” Jackson said. “Being able to bluff your way or tough your way out of anything and don’t blink. You gotta be that guy — it’s always about who blinks first. Don’t blink. Stay there with it.”