(PR Photos)
Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya Richardson will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next year, and the “Shaft” star credits the longevity of their marriage to their mutual understanding of how the game of show business works. Plus, they genuinely still have love for each other — a rarity in Hollywood.
“The secret to our success? Well, I guess we still love each other,” Jackson exclusively told Us Weekly at the New York City premiere of “Shaft” on Monday (June 10).
“[Couples are] always breaking up in neighborhoods all over the world,” the Oscar-nominated actor said, noting that couples working in the industry navigate the highs and the lows of a relationship a bit differently from average folks.
“Our job is just a job, you go to work, we go to work,” Jackson added. “If I’m at home working, I love coming home and sleeping in my bed. I was working a lot of other different places, but she comes to visit. You know, we both come from the theater. She’s on Broadway right now doing To Kill a Mockingbird, I’m out in the world doing movies. We understand the bond we have, the commonality of experiences, the commonality of joy of the theater and of our lives and of our daughter’s life, so it’s easy for us to stay connected.”
Jackson and Richardson married in 1980 and welcomed daughter Zoe in 1982, who works as a TV producer.
“I talk more to my wife and daughter than I used to,” he said in a recent interview with Esquire. “I’m getting better at talking to them about their lives and what they are doing and how they feel.”
The 70-year-old actor previously told the Associated Press that he has no plans to retire from acting anytime soon.
“It’s acting. It’s not like I’m digging a ditch. I go on set, do some s–t. I go back and sit in my trailer for two hours and watch TV, eat a sandwich, read. And I go back and do 10 more minutes and go sit down some more. So, yeah it’s a great job.”
“Shaft hits theaters on Friday, June 14.”
