An interview with the 73-year-old actor stated, "I should have won.". Jackson believes he deserved to win for his role in Pulp Fiction, but also went on to say he deserved at least a nomination for his role in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. In response, he stated that he was shocked to have lost a nomination to two members of Bugsy.
“My wife and I went to see Bugsy,” he says. “Damn! They got nominated and I didn’t? I guess black folk usually win for doing despicable shit on screen. Like Denzel [Washington] for being a horrible cop in Training Day. All the great stuff he did in uplifting roles like Malcolm X? No — we’ll give it to this motherf***er. So maybe I should have won one. But Oscars don’t move the comma on your cheque — it’s about getting asses in seats and I’ve done a good job of doing that.”
An Honorary Oscar will be awarded to Jackson at the 2022 Governors Awards on March 25. Nevertheless, he also believes that the metrics used to determine winners and losers are backwards. Despite appearing in some of the most popular films of all time, Jackson has never been nominated for an Oscar. According to the acting veteran, there ought to be a category for the "most popular movie" and Spider-Man: No Way Home should win it this year, since so many people went out to see it.
“They should! It did what movies did forever — it got people to a big dark room,” he said, adding later, “All movies are valid. Some go to the cinema to be moved dearly. Some like superheroes. If somebody has more butts on seats it just means your audience is not as broad. There are people who have had successful careers but nobody can recite one line of their parts. I’m the guy who says shit that’s on a T-shirt.”
The 94th Academy Awards will be held on March 27.