To hear Samuel L. Jackson’s full interview click here.
*This Friday set your mind free!
“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” starring Samuel L. Jackson on Apple TV+, is based on the acclaimed novel by best-selling author Walter Mosley, and follows an ailing man (Grey) forgotten by his family, friends, and even by himself.
We talked to the iconic Jackson about dementia and uninhibited discussions.
Q: One of your causes is fighting Alzheimer’s, was it helpful or hard to play Mr. Grey since the disease has had a big impact on your family?
SLJ: To be able to give Ptolemy a legitimate shot at being recognized by an audience was [a joy and] something I was looking forward to doing. When I watched some of the playback – which I rarely do – because I was close to the film, I wanted to be sure the light in his eyes was the right light and my cognitive abilities didn’t float through, so people could see his change.
I wanted to be sure people knew they weren’t going to watch six episodes of a guy who’s “not around” or be triggered. They actually get to see a man live a life worth living. Ptolemy’s life isn’t a spectacular life but it’s a life that informs the problems he has in his cloudiness.
Q: Mr. Gray is uninhibited and tells people how he feels, like in the hardware store scene…
SLJ: It was a privilege to be able to play Mr. Gray. [He’s the type of person] who would call you to the side and say, ‘don’t talk like that.’ We don’t have people doing that as much anymore. Or people get disrespected when they do it. Those are the messed up things you see on Instagram – where somebody is getting punched in the face. Just because a young person didn’t have an older person to pull them aside at some point in their life and say, ‘you don’t need to talk like that.’
“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” will premiere with two episodes globally on March 11 with new episodes premiering weekly on Friday thereafter, exclusively on Apple TV+.
Follow @appletvplus | #PtolemyGrey
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