Warning: An Avengers: Infinity War spoiler can be found below.
Samuel L. Jackson has paid his 10th visit to The Ellen Show, and host Ellen DeGeneres celebrated this occasion on Thursday by awarding the actor, who turns 70 this year, a special sash. The two exchanged small talk about creaky joints and naps before Ellen got down to the real business — expressing disbelief at how Nick Fury did not appear in Black Panther, and she’s not alone.
Although Jackson previously expressed doubt that the movie could change the dynamic for black actors in Hollywood, he really did want to appear in the film, and it seems that he’s dwelling on the matter. Jackson still cannot fathom why Nick Fury wasn’t invited to partake. In fact, Jackson told Ellen that he tried his hardest to get to Wakanda:
“When they were making it, I kept saying, ‘So when do I go to Wakanda?’ And they were [shakes head] … [Can I just walk down the street in Wakanda so they know that I know it’s there? Because I know it’s there. I mean, Nick Fury knows every black thing that’s on the planet, so he’s gotta know about Wakanda.”
Even though Jackson’s quest wasn’t successful, he’s thrilled with the film’s phenomenal box-office success, and he held out hope for Fury’s possible appearance in a sequel. “Eventually, I may end up in Wakanda,” he stated, although neither he nor Ellen made mention of Nick Fury, uh, dying in the post-credits scene (as part of Thanos’ genocidal wave) of Avengers: Infinity War. Surely, they can’t not bring back Nick Fury though, right? After all, he’s already pretty good at dying and coming back to life.
Naturally, there was more adventure to be had in Jackson’s visit to the show. Below, he gives a tutorial on how to use his favorite word: “Motherf***er.”