Galactic News

Thursday October 17, 2002
Homing Beacon #71

The latest Homing Beacon has arrived, and today we get to talk with Samuel L. Jackson! Next month, Mace Windu comes to home video as Episode II arrives on DVD and VHS on November 12. No longer just sitting around the Council chambers, Windu gets to face off against enemies of the Republic and dispense Jedi justice with his violet-bladed lightsaber.

"I was thrilled about that," Samuel L. Jackson says. "It's wish fulfillment. All my life I wanted to be in a swashbuckling adventure movie but no one really makes them anymore."

Jackson has often equated the Star Wars films to the adventure epics of yesterday, ranking the Jedi warriors alongside such legends as Errol Flynn. It was that derring-do spirit that made Jackson a Star Wars fan way back when he first saw A New Hope during its original release.

"If George Lucas hadn't offered me the part of Mace Windu, I'd have gladly dressed up as an extra in stormtrooper gear. As long as I was in a Star Wars movie somewhere, even hidden in some kind of costume, I'd have been happy," he admits.

Episode II has become the key to unlocking the saga, as audiences can clearly see the connections that bind the Star Wars films together. Jackson was impressed at how well prepared director George Lucas was in piecing together the universe. "When there's something I don't know, then I'm not afraid to ask. I've watched all the movies and read a lot of the background stuff. You could spend hours on the ‘net checking out details, but a lot of the time people embellish Star Wars lore or just plain make stuff up. You have to filter a lot of things. As I say, the only person who really knows how everything fits together is George."

The unparalleled digital clarity of the DVD is the perfect showcase for Industrial Light & Magic's work, and even having been part of the filmmaking process doesn't blunt the impact of the visuals for an actor. Jackson had no problem with the amount of bluescreen shooting, since it appealed to a type of role-playing he had done as a youngster. "It kind of feels like I've been doing it all my life. Being an only child and having an active imagination, I did the same sort of thing in my room as a kid. I fought things that weren't really there and had conversations with people that were just in my head."

Despite such digital breakthroughs, Jackson isn't worried about being replaced by a computer-generated simulacrum someday. "You'll always need real people," he says. "Audiences like to imagine themselves in these situations, and the only way they can do that is through flesh-and-blood actors. You need a real person to relate to. Plus the public will always need movie stars to admire or gossip about."