Samuel L. Jackson Explains Why He Rewrites Nick Fury’s Dialogue for Marvel Projects

Nick Fury is one of just a couple of characters to still exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception. Not only is Fury still around, but he’s still a key character in the franchise, set to lead the Secret Invasion series on Disney+ next year. Samuel L. Jackson has been playing Fury since the very beginning, appearing in 11 MCU films to this point, and set to appear in at least a couple more. There’s no doubt that Jackson knows the MCU version of Fury inside and out. So it should come as no surprise to learn that the actor will occasionally rewrite some of the character’s dialogue before shooting.

When you’ve played a character for 14 years, you tend to know a little bit about them and how they would speak or act in a given situation. That’s how Jackson feels about Nick Fury. During a recent interview with Collider, Jackson revealed that he will alter dialogue here and there to make sure it all feels true to the character.

“I’ve been doing Nick Fury for so long, I know what he sounds like and I know how he thinks and how he feels,” Jackson said. “I know writers sit at home and write. If the writer is a fan of that kind of thing – the superhero genre – they know how to do it. I’ve had directors who have written comic books, so when they say, ‘Say it the way I wrote it,’ you can go, ‘Okay, so we’re doing comic book speak.’ Then, I’ll have directors who’ll say, ‘Say it like Nick Fury would say it,’ or ‘Say it like you as Nick Fury would say it,’ which means, ‘Say it like Jules (from Pulp Fiction) or Ordell (from Jackie Brown), or any of those smart-ass characters that you’ve played before. Help me.’ And I can accept that too.” 

“But there are times, when I’m in the midst of doing or studying the lines for the next day or the scene that we’re doing, that I can tell, ‘The writer knows what he wants to say, but he hadn’t said it, so let me help,’ and I’ll write it,” he continued. “And then, the next day when I go in, I’ll pull that person to the side and say, ‘Look, I know you wrote this, but this is a better way to say that as Nick Fury,’ and they’ll go, ‘Oh my God. Well, you’re Nick Fury, so yeah.’”

Jackson’s Fury is set to appear in multiple MCU projects next year. He’ll have a starring role in the Secret Invasion series on Disney+, and he’ll appear in some capacity in The Marvels, the sequel to Captain Marvel.