Samuel L. Jackson is never afraid to speak his mind. It doesn't matter how colorful his thoughts are or how conformational. This is one of the many reasons so many people adore him. These traits also make him ideal when combating ignorance or just good ole stupidity. And that is precisely what happened in 2014 when a KTLA news anchor confused the Snakes on a Plane star with Morpheus from The Matrix... AKA Laurence Fishburne.
Without a doubt, Samuel L. Jackson's response is something we can all learn from. And, most importantly, it remains one of the best things on the internet.
Samuel Totally Called Out That News Anchor For His Ignorant Mistake... And Wouldn't Let Up On It
Samuel L. Jackson is easily one of the best talk-show guests around. There is rarely a time that he doesn't delight or be downright entertaining. His absurd stories tend to be what people like the best. For example, he once went on Britain's Graham Norton Show and revealed that he got married even though he never even proposed.
His funny life experiences aside, Samuel is also excellent and taking on and taking down people he feels need to be taught a lesson. Usually, this is for comedic purposes. But in the case of his most-talked-about interview, it may have been about more than just a laugh...
Back in 2014, Samuel went on KTLA to discuss his role in the Robocop reboot movie. During the interview, news anchor Sam Rubin referenced Samuel's inclusion in The Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as in a highly talked about 2014 Super Bowl commercial... Except... Samuel wasn't in a Super Bowl commercial in 2014...
Instead of glossing over this, the Avengers star straight-up confronted him and the rest is internet history...
"What Super Bowl commercial?" Samuel asked, absolutely confused.
Of course, this made Sam Rubin equally as dumbfounded until his producers signaled that he had made a mistake. Of course, it took Samuel mere moments to figure out that Sam had mistaken him for Lawerence Fishburne, who had done a supremely successful Kia commercial a few weeks prior.
"I'm not Lawrence Fishburne!" Samuel yelled in his somewhat iconic way.
"I know. My mistake. I'm sorry."
"We don't all look alike. We may be all Black and famous, but we don't all look alike."
"I'm guilty... I'm guilty..."
"But? But?" Samuel cut in. "You're the entertainment reporter!? You're the entertainment reporter for this station, and you don't know the difference between me and Laurence Fishburne?"
Sam Rubin continued to apologize, but Samuel wasn't through with him yet.
"There must be a very short line for your job outside there."
The news anchor tried to pivot away from the topic, as anyone else would do. And, unlike every other celebrity caught in a moment like this, Samuel L. Jackson refused.
"Let's talk about Robocop," Sam Rubin said.
"Oh, hell no!"
This is why fans are still in love with this interview to this very day. Even other celebrities such as Sons of Anarchy star Ron Perlman shared the video and praised Samuel for calling out the mistake in such a hilarious manner.
Samuel Embarrassed The Anchor For Nearly 5 Minutes Straight
The fact that Samuel L. Jackson nearly spent 5 minutes straight teasing the news anchor for his mistake probably did more to promote Robocop than if he actually just spoke about the movie. It's the kind of delicious mistake so many people crave to witness or call someone out on. But Samuel also took the chance to really hammer home the fact that there is some ignorance out there in terms of people of color in Hollywood.
"There's more than one Black guy doing a commercial. I'm the 'What's in your wallet?' Black guy. [Lawrence Fishburne's] the car Black guy. Morgan Freeman is the other credit card Black guy. You only hear his voice though, so you probably won't confuse him with Lawrence Fishburne."
"You're 100% right," Sam Rubin said, totally embarrassed by now. "Getting back to Robocop---"
"There's a heavier-weight Black guy putting cash down on the seats in a baseball stadium but he's also the Black guy who turns off the house, the water, and the lights when his kids tell him the house is cool. I'm not that guy either."
"Do you want to list off all the people that you're not?" Sam Rubin said, trying to get in on the joke.
"And I've actually never done a McDonald's or a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial. I know that's surprising. And I'm the only Black guy in Robocop that's not a criminal."
This is when Samuel finally let the anchor pivot to talking about Robocop... for about 30 seconds...
There's no doubt that this interview is worth multiple viewings. In fact, it may be even more relevant in 2021.