Celebrity

The reason Samuel L. Jackson says this so much has to do with a childhood disorder. Who knew?

Published on May 20, 2020

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the world’s favorite actors. He has been on the big screen for more than three decades and appears in some biggest and best movies ever — from Jurassic Park to Marvel flicks such as The Avengers.

A big part of his schtick is his trademark use of the word “motherf*cker” — something that has come up in over two dozen of his films. But it’s not just something he does to please moviegoers — the reason Jackson uses it so much has to do with a childhood disorder.

Why Samuel L. Jackson says ‘motherf*cker’ so much

Jackson explained the reason behind his frequent use of the word in a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair. He told the publication that it helped him overcome a “dehabilitating stutter” from childhood and basically stuck after that.

“I stuttered for a long time, and it actually did help me stop,” he explained to the outlet. “It was spontaneous on how I discovered it — it was the word that hit me, and the word that kind of helped me stop stuttering with the d-d-d’s and b-b-b’s.”

Samuel L. Jackson continues to use it to help with his stuttering

Jackson noted that he doesn’t stutter his words as much as he used to but said there are times when he’ll have fits. In those situations, the 71-year-old will shout or whisper “motherf*cker” to break his stammering.

“The word still helps me today,” he continued. “I still stutter a little bit. I have days and I get through it.”

As for how he feels about becoming so closely associated with the word, Jackson said it’s no big deal to him.

“I embrace it. It is what it is, and I don’t mind if I’m linked with that word,” he added to the outlet. “I don’t run away from it. I step into it.”

“When I read a script and it’s on the page, I don’t think about it. For me, it’s really just another word; it’s another piece of dialogue, and it’s something that I know that I can work with. I don’t have to think about how to say it. It naturally comes out. Sometimes there’s no better word than ’motherfucker’ to describe someone or a situation. It’s an all-encompassing word, so yelling it out is the way you say it, and it feels good.”

Samuel L. Jackson’s upcoming movies

If you missed it, Jackson just had a movie come out in March called The Banker. An Apple TV exclusive, it is described by IMDb as a drama set in the ’60s that follows “two African-American entrepreneurs [who] hire a working-class white man to pretend to be the head of their business empire while they pose as a janitor and chauffeur.” The movie debuted to strong reviews and is considered one of the best programs to hit Apple TV.

Up next, Jackson will appear in the action thriller The Asset (2021) alongside Michael Keaton. But details are still pretty limited. Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for updates.

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