Samuel L. Jackson jokes that an Oscar nomination is only an honor if you win

Samuel L. Jackson belongs to that elite class of actors who you think has at least one Oscar [see also: Glenn Close, Angela Bassett, Annette Bening, Glenn Close again] but in reality, he’s only been nominated once in his storied career.

Sure, he has an Honorary Oscar, but we all know that doesn’t count. That could all change with The Piano Lesson, adapted from August Wilson’s play of the same title. Jackson jokes that if he gets nominated this time around, it’ll only be an “honor” if he wins.

“We’ve been in the business long enough to know that, you know, the folks who go, ‘Well, it’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No it ain’t,” Jackson said in a joint AP interview with Piano Lesson costar Michael Potts. “It’s an honor to win.”

Jackson was nominated in 1995 as Best Supporting Actor for his unforgettable, and oft-quoted, turn as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, ultimately losing out to Martin Landau for Ed Wood. In 2021, Jackson received the Academy Honorary Award, recognizing his work as a “cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide.”

“You know, you get nominated, folks go, ‘Yeah, yeah, I remember that. Most people forget, you know,” Jackson continued. “Generally, it’s a contest you didn’t volunteer to be in. I didn’t go in there so I could flex, like, ‘Well, wait a minute. Let me do my scene then! Hold up!'”

The cultural icon went on to note that after all is said and done, however, “people have a hard time remembering who even won.”

Produced by someone who does know the honor of victory, Denzel Washington (with Todd Black), The Piano Lesson stars Jackson as patriarch Doaker Charles, whose two children, Boy Willie (John David Washington) and Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) argue over the fate of an heirloom piano during the Great Depression.

Deadwyler, who missed out on being nominated at the last Academy Awards for her acclaimed role in Till, has already picked up a couple festival awards for The Piano Lesson and is up for Outstanding Supporting Performance at the Gotham Awards, held next week on Dec. 2.

The 1987 play by Wilson won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, while the 1990 Broadway production was nominated for five Tonys, including Best Play. Jackson starred in the 2022 revival (with John David Washington), earning a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, though surely it was just an honor to be nominated.

The Piano Lesson is currently streaming on Netflix.