Sam Jackson is one of the most bankable actors in the history of Hollywood and his crazy-ass wig choices have had a lot to do with it.
Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most celebrated actors in the world for several reasons. Tops among them are his onscreen presence, his expressive face during non-speaking scenes and the unadulterated negritude with which he delivers every line. Especially, “mutha*****r!”
And if we were searching q for all-time great wig-wearers in the history of Hollywood film and television, we’d have to put him up there with some of the other greats.
In his role as Mr. Glass in the film Unbreakable, Jackson rocked a wig that appeared to be removed from a mannequin of Frederick Douglass down at the local African-American museum abolitionist exhibit.
That got us to thinking about some of the other wacky headpieces he’s sported over the years; the jheri curl wig of Vincent in Pulp Fiction, faux cornrows he had in Formula 51, the clean baldy he sported as Mace Windu, the platinum blond half-fro he sported as the antagonist in “Jumper” and let’s not forget the psychotic look he sported as the villainous Barron in “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”.
Now, with the upcoming Captain Marvel movie expected to drop soon, we see trailers with Nick Fury sporting what appears to be a overgrown low fade with a widow’s peak. Like, who’d rock that other than someone playing a character based on comic book lore?
With Mr. Glass, the culmination of a film trilogy decades in the making, Samuel L. Jackson will once again be rockin’ a wacky headpiece that is essential to the aesthetics of the particular character that he’s looking to translate to the viewing audience.
The fact that Jackson picks out all the wigs for all of his characters makes them even more outlandish. And the funny part is, Sam Jack is such a powerful actor that he could be wearing a rubber chicken on his head and the dialogue would be as fearsome as ever.
Here are some examples of our favorites.
The Caveman’s Valentine (2001)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y18KmuS2UyI
In this film, Jackson plays Romulus, a homeless man and once-promising composer living in a cave in one of New York City’s parks. When a dead boy is discovered on Valentine’s Day, everyone assumes he froze to death, but Romulus believes he was murdered. The dreadlock wig he sported wasn’t bad, but it was striking.
Pulp Fiction (1994 )
In this now cult classic noir film, Jackson plays Jules, a hit man in the employ of local gangster Marcellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames. The trajectory is very much like the pulp fiction novels that were once very popular in the United States from the late 1890’s through the 1950’s. However, Jackson’s character looks and behaves as if he time-traveled from 1986, which he made him look even more imposing with that juicy wig.
Captain Marvel (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ctjjkFw0M4
Captain Marvel isn’t even out yet, but we can see that this is going to be yet another Samuel L. Jackson role in which the character’s hair sends nonverbal signals to the viewer. With this version of Nick Fury, the hair being short and close to the dome conveys authority, uniformity and regularity, all of which will be tested by the events of this film. Can’t wait!
Jumper (2008)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm7B7WzAA1M
The platinum quarter-fro immediately drew comparisons to Sisqo of Dru Hill fame, and for the life of me I can’t stop imagining Jackson singing “Thong Song”. He sported it for the 2001 sci-fi disappointment in which he portrays a government licensed assassin tasked with killing jumpers, a group of ridiculously good looking young humans with the ability to teleport.
Mrs. Peregrine’s School For Peculiar Children (2016)
In this film, directed by Tim Burton and based on the best-selling novel, Jackson plays Mr. Barron, the leader of the Wights and Hollows. Wights are shape-shifters that hunt Peculiars and devour their eyes to recover human form. But his hair looks like he survived a lightning strike.
