“IT’S SORT of ironic, considering the places I’ve been,” laughs Samuel L Jackson of the warm welcome he received last night at the US Ambassador’s residence in the Phoenix Park.
Jackson was suspended from college in 1969 for holding members of the college board of trustees hostage as part of a political protest. Hence his amusement at being the guest of honour at a reception hosted by ambassador Dan Rooney.
“I actually thought the same thing last year when I was participating in the inauguration [of President Obama] and I was on the programme. A strange place for me to end up after my background and my FBI file, or whatever I might have.”
Other guests included soul singer Dionne Warwick, Boyzone singer Keith Duffy and RTÉ presenters Ryan Tubridy and John Kelly, while the evening’s entertainment came from the Soul Steps dance theatre company, in Ireland to celebrate Black History Month.
Jackson, famous for his roles in Pulp Fiction, Shaft, Jungle Feverand Jackie Brown,will host A Night for Loveat Dublin's O'Reilly Hall tomorrow evening, in aid of the Samuel L Jackson Foundation and Irish Autism Action.
“I’ve been trying to find charities to partner with through my foundation around the world and I have some friends in California who have a large autism foundation,” said Jackson of his decision to speak at the Irish Autism Action evening.
Yet though his charitable work may be the reason for his Irish visit, it was Samuel L Jackson the actor, cutting a dapper figure as he moved around the ballroom addressing every attendee with a broad smile, who set all the pulses racing and eyelashes fluttering.
“Acting is an interesting profession,” he admitted with a modest grin. “It’s kind of hard to say that you’re a cornerstone of anything, but I do make people laugh, I do make ’em cry, I make ’em react to things, and sometimes I’m fortunate enough to do a film with some social relevance, to give people an opportunity to talk about something, make a decision, make a change. So I try and be effective in that way.” Fundamentally, however, he sees himself as “just a storyteller.” “I actually choose stories that kiss my fancy or sometimes capture the imagination of that kid inside of me.” It may be this draw to stories that makes him feel so at home in Ireland. “Everywhere I’ve been in the country people have always welcomed me and treated me like it was great for me to be here and they were glad to see me, so yeah, I always feel a personal connection when that happens.”
He's long been a regular on Irish soil, his twin passions for theatre and golf luring him over on several previous occasions. "I used to come to the Dublin Theatre Festival a lot, and I've taken the ferry over from Liverpool to Dublin to play golf on weekends when I was shooting Formula 51." For this particular visit, however, his focus is on his charitable work. "Every foundation out here is suffering from the world economic crisis, and it doesn't change the fact that those people in need are still in need." Warwick will headline tomorrow's event, the entrance to which will set revellers back €500 a chair, or €5,000 for a table.