Born Samuel Leroy Jackson December 21st, 1948, in Washington DC, Jackson was principally a character actor throughout the 80s, but has since grown to become one of Hollywood\'s most popular actor\'s with acclaimed performances in \'Jungle Fever,\' \'Pulp Fiction,\' \'A Time To Kill,\' \'Unbreakable,\' \'Deep Blue Sea,\' \'Jackie Brown\' the truly excellent \'Caveman\'s Valentine,\' and \'Star Wars: Episode 1\' to name but just a few.
In the brand new British-made flick \'51st State,\' Samuel L. Jackson plays an American chemist who blows up his boss and heads for Liverpool, England to create a drugs empire. This engrossing action/comedy is based on British screenwriter Stel Pavlou\'s super-tight screenplay and also stars Robert Carlyle as a small-time crook, Ricky Tomlinson as the mad drug overlord and Rhys Ifans as the annoying club owner trying to grab a slice of the sordid trade.

Taking some time out with the star, Samuel L. Jackson, I first wondered what his thoughts were on having to wear a kilt for the majority of the role ? \"The costumer gave me a book on kilts that said \'if you can\'t wear a kilt with confidence, don\'t put it on.\' But I felt very comfortable in it - that whole \'Braveheart\' thing kicked in.\"

So, did you wear anything under it ? \"When I asked what I should wear under it I was instructed \'your wife\'s lipstick\' ! Some days I had to put underwear on - the studio didn\'t want to have to pay extra for digital erasing !\"

Why choose Robert Carlyle as your partner ?\"I was always talking about Robert but I\'d never met him. So he flew into L.A., and as soon as we made eye contact we immediately broke into great big smiles, so we knew we\'d get along famously. The wonderful thing for me is that this is not your typical American buddy bonding movie where the two guys beat each other to pulp before they respect each other. These guys find a common ground and so reach an understanding - which is more how people really get together rather than that thing we always see in movies. It was also important that this film was told from a British perspective, so American audiences can feel the way I feel until they adjust the way my character adjusts.\"

What has been your most favorite role played thus far ?\"The most enjoyable is the one that I\'m playing at the moment. But I guess the most memorable one is \'Pulp Fiction\' because not a day goes by without someone asking me what you call a Royale with cheese in France ! Now everyone\'s downloading my movie quotes off the internet and I call people\'s houses and I\'m on their answering machine !\"