Walton Goggins Remembers How Samuel L. Jackson Eased His Nerves During Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’

Samuel L. Jackson may be a real-life superhero, according to his three-time co-star Walton Goggins.

The star of the upcoming “White Lotus” season was among those honoring Jackson during the 2024 MoMA Film Benefit, presented by Chanel. Goggins recalled onstage just how much Jackson helped him during the rehearsals for Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 Western film “The Hateful Eight,” especially when it came to easing his nerves.

“When we were doing rehearsals for ‘The Hateful Eight,’ this was before it was going to be a movie and we were just going to do this stage read, I was running a day late,” Goggins said while at the Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit presented by Chanel, A Tribute to Samuel L. Jackson. “Quentin looked at me and said, ‘Alright, we’ve been here for a day, Walton. You’re up. Are you ready?’ Sam looked at me and saw the look on my face and saw the fear in my eyes. With such love in my heart, he leaned over and whispered in my ear, ‘You’ve got this, motherfucker.’ It’s all I needed to hear.”

Goggins added, “The thing is, you’ve been whispering in my ear and every ear of everybody in this room for 40 motherfucking years.”

Goggins and Jackson also starred in Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” together. Yet “The Hateful Eight” remains one of their most beloved experiences together. Plus, it’s also where Jackson got to know Goggins more personally.

“One of my favorite Sam stories is actually the day that my son met Sam for the first time. It was on the set of ‘The Hateful Eight’ and my family was coming to work that day,” Goggins said. “I was onstage working when they arrived and Sam was sitting outside with Kurt [Russell] and Tim [Roth] and a few other people. My five-year-old dressed as Jango Fett on his little scooter came riding up and just slid to a stop in front of Sam. He said, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Sam said, ‘Yeah, I know who you are. I cut your head clean off.’ My five-year-old said, ‘No, you did not.’ Sam said, ‘Yes, I fucking did in “Star Wars.”‘”

Goggins continued, “My son said, ‘Oh, you owe me $5.’ He said, ‘For what?’ ‘Because every time my daddy cusses he gives me $5.’ ‘Well, who is your daddy?’ ‘Walton Goggins.’ Sam looked at him for a second and said, ‘How long are you going to be here?’ My son said, ‘All day.’ Sam reached into his pocket, pulled out a $50 bill, handed it to him and said, ‘This ought to fucking cover it.'”

Goggins added, “My son laughed because he knew what I knew when I first met Sam on the set of ‘Django’ almost 13 years ago, and that is that he’s a kindred spirit.”

To Jackson, Goggins said, “The first time I met you I felt like I was meeting family. And for a minute, I thought, ‘Oh shit, I’m the only person you make feel that way.’ But the truth is, you make everybody feel that way. Your performances from all these years are permanently etched in our collective brains. I’ve had the privilege of getting to see it three times, up close and personally. I’ve seen the way your imagination shifts from take to take and it is mesmerizing. Working with you, Sam, is the golden ticket.”

The gala also featured tributes from Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Kenny Leon, and Jackson’s producing partner and wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Scarlett Johansson, Brie Larson, and George Lucas also made recorded messages to celebrate Jackson.

Chanel collaborated with MoMA on the sixteenth annual Film Benefit to celebrate Jackson and his acclaimed legacy. Chanel has sponsored the Museum of Modern Art’s annual Film Benefit and has served as lead sponsor of film at MoMA since 2021.