46 AMERICANWAY
DECEMBER 1 2008
S A M U E L L .
J A C K S O N
seek, smash andburn,” Jackson says. “Iwas
just getting ready formy job.”
Jackson laughs — a resonant, rolling
rumble of gratitude and rambunctiousness
—and theman’s joiedevivre isas infectious
ashis intensity ispalpable. “Inmy job, I get
todo all that JamesCagney stuff— stagger
and fall. It’saboy’s life,”he says. “Plus, it lets
meworkoutmykinks. Savesa lotofmoney,
[
not having to
]
lieon someone’s sofa.”
In Jackson’s latest foray into cinematic
mayhem,
TheSpirit
,heportraysanübervil-
lainknownas theOctopus,who is intenton
seizing control of the fictional Central City.
In the beloved Eisner comic, the Octopus
was never shown, save for a pair of gloved
hands. Jackson, then, given pretty much
carte blanche to bring the character to life,
created a baroquely flamboyant vision of
madness and evil. His Octopus is Wile E.
CoyotebywayofLiberace—akilt-wearing,
missile-toting, wisecracking lunatic who
just happens tobe indestructible.
“TheOctopus isacartoonbuffoon toa lot
of people, especially in a visual sense. You
lookathimandyoudon’tget the fear thing,”
Jacksonsays. “Buthe is
very
dangerous.He’s
a little demented, a little twisted, and he
knows he’s indestructible, so he walks into
situations boldly andwildly. There’s power
inbeing indestructible. I think itmakesyou
crazy, or evil, honestly.”
DeborahDelPrete, producerof
TheSpir-
it
, says Jackson relished the opportunity to
unleash his id in the comic-book universe.
“Sam himself is larger than life, which is
why he was so perfect for this part,” Del
Prete says. “Everyday, hebrought to the set
a sense of fun and excitement, and it was
infectious, so everyone on-setwasmore ex-
cited about doing their jobs. He brings so
much joy towhat hedoes.”
Ispentmychildhood
playingwar,and
cowboysandIndians,
andcopsandrobbers;
jumpingoutoftrees;
rollingdownhills.
...
Iwas justgetting
ready formy job.
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