Samuel L. Jackson Still Irked at Losing 'Reservoir Dogs' Role

As a respected stage actor coming off a Cannes award for "Jungle Fever," Samuel L. Jackson thought he'd nail that audition, 24 years ago, for a little-known screenwriter's first film called "Reservoir Dogs."

But instead of reading, as he'd expected, with the stars Tim Roth and Harvey Keitel, Jackson ended up with two jokers he'd never met before who flubbed their lines and kept laughing.

“I didn’t realize it was Quentin (Tarantino), the director-writer, and Lawrence Bender, the producer,” Jackson tells New York magazine, “but I knew that the audition was not very good.”

He didn't get the role -- and never really got over it -- and to this day still calls Tarantino a profane word referencing his mother, though now Jackson insists it's done as an endearment.

Tarantino has, of course, made amends, casting Jackson in six movies since, including "The Hateful Eight," which comes out on Christmas. At age 66, Jackson is now one of the busiest actors in Hollywood, though still finds time to golf and watch movies, which he prefers to see with real audiences.

“I’m 66! I can show my ID at the theater and get a discount. And I do!” he says.. “I’m not too proud. I’ve earned it.”