Samuel L. Jackson To Receive Lifetime Achievement Award At This Year's BET Awards
Samuel L. Jackson was in attendance at this year's Dubai International Film Festival, where he was the recipient of a lifetime achievement award.
Sitting onstage during the event Jackson reportedly talked to people in attendance about the upcoming awards season, race and films, and Donald Trump's presidential win.
Although he did not mention Trump by name (when an audience member asked him about his thoughts on Trump, Jackson responded "My agent won't let me answer that question") he still addressed the results of this year's presidential election, and how they did not surprise him.
"I understand something about my country that others don't understand," Jackson said. "Like what just happened during that [presidential] election, I get it in another kind of way. I'm not confused or shocked by it. I get it, I lived in it during another time. I understand who those people are who want to make America great again."
He then discussed the mistreatment of Muslim Americans, saying:
"Muslims are getting arrested like black kids get arrested; Muslim Americans are the new black kids in America. Suspect as we are for the dominant culture, people don't understand them. People perceive them as a threat before even saying hello. But the Muslim community is present in our country. They are a vital part of our country and interestingly enough they have less crime, more education and their businesses thrive more so than any other group in the country. You tell people in the Rust Belt that, and they're like, 'Get out of here.'"
However, at the very least the well known actor seems optimistic about the diversification of Hollywood.
"The business has changed in an interesting sort of way," Jackson said. "There are so many platforms for people to tell their stories and so many stories get told. It used to be that there was a specific feeling that a certain amount of black actors in Hollywood got. When Denzel [Washington] didn't want to do it, it was me or Forest [Whitaker] and it came down to which one of us was cheaper. Now they changed the business model so everyone is cheaper, and there's a lot more work and a lot more people working."
This year Jackson lent his voice to the critically acclaimed I Am Not Your Negro, a film on the iconic James Baldwin.
