Samuel L Jackson lived up to his name as the king of cool when he cuddled up to a snake at a film premiere this week. Not even blanching for a moment the Pulp Fiction star held a firm grip on the slippery character as he publicised in-flight action movie Snakes On A Plane at Graumann's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
His co-stars ER's foxy nurse Julianna Margulies and Elsa Pataky - the Spanish actress currently romancing Adrien Brody - were also in attendance, but chose to keep their distance from the reptiles.
Originally famed for portraying pyschos with a penchant for expletives, this time Samuel plays the good guy. His job is to stop a hitman bent on killing a federal witness by letting loose a crateload of snakes mid-air. The 57-year-old actor was so keen to appear in the film after coming across the eye-catching title in a trade magazine, he emailed the director and signed himself up on the spot.
"I never even saw a script. Didn't have to," laughs the Hollywood hotshot. "It's just a concept. Snakes on a plane, and then you put me in that kind of mix and what I've done and the characters I've played, then you have the hype. There's the story. "
Nor will the laid-back actor be worried if the flick doesn't scoop any Oscars. "It's not Snakes On Brokeback Mountain. It's just snakes on a plane. You either want to see it or you don't. "
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
