Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most notable actors in Hollywood and has appeared in more than 165 films during his career, according to the Independent. He’s played myriad roles, but one character he has to confront is old Father Time.
“I’m getting older every day,” he said, iNews reports. “I’m kind of old. I know a lot about getting old! I have been around for a while.”
In his latest project, he plays a 93-year-old man living with dementia in the Apple TV+ series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, adapted from Walter Mosley’s novel.
“It’s not just a dirge about Alzheimer’s dementia,” he said. “It’s about a lot of other different things.”
Jackson’s character, Grey, takes a miracle drug that temporarily restores his memory, which helps him as he tracks down the killers of his great-nephew Reggie.
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Jackson revealed that he gravitated to the project, which he produced with his wife, because of his experience with his mother, grandfather, aunt and uncle who all who lived with Alzheimer’s, Today Online reports.
“As they passed on, I just became more determined to tell this story and get it out there. And make sure people understand that the people they loved are still there, inside that person, so you can’t throw them away. You have to care for them and love them as if they’re still contributing to your life,” the 73-year-old actor said, according to iNews.
The Oscar-nominated actor confessed, however, that he is concerned when he cannot remember something.
“Of course. I have times when I can’t remember a name that I know. Or walk in a room to get something and go, ‘Why am I in here?’ But I also still remember pages of dialogue a day. So, do I think about it? Yes. Am I worried? I’m 73 … 74? 73 … See, like that! But it had happened to my mom and my grandfather by now. So I think I’m OK. For the moment,” he said, according to Sunday Times Culture magazine.
Reflecting on his relationship with his mom, Jackson said he remembers the last time his late mother recognized him.
“She was watching TV, and a film of mine was coming out. I popped up on the screen, and she looked at me and said, ‘Oh, Sam.’ That was it,” he recalled.
