“He Thinks He Knows Everything”: LaTanya On Directing Samuel L. Jackson
Directing your husband might sound like a fun idea — until your husband is Samuel L. Jackson.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson, 75, recently shared how things really went down when she directed her famous husband in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson. During an upcoming episode of Sherri, airing Tuesday, April 8, LaTanya sat with Sherri Shepherd, 57, and didn’t hold back on the details.
When asked if Samuel, 76, takes direction well, LaTanya burst into laughter and replied, “No.” Then she added with a smirk that he “thinks he knows everything” “because he’s so old.”
LaTanya, a two-time Tony Award nominee and powerhouse director, knew she had to take control early. “He’s been there, done that, and who are you?” she recalled, mimicking her husband’s attitude during rehearsals. But she was quick to set the tone on set: “In this room, it’s about what I say,” she told him firmly. “I need [everyone in the cast] listening to me.”
Even though Samuel has been in the game for decades — and also stars in Netflix’s version of The Piano Lesson — LaTanya had no problem putting him in his place. According to her, there were times she’d just wave her hand and say, “Okay, go sit over there then, because we’re over here working.”
And yet, when the curtain closed and they were back home, LaTanya was still showing up in the way only a long-time partner can. Their daughter, Zoe Jackson, now 43, couldn’t believe her mom was still fixing Samuel’s plate after all that. “She said, ‘I cannot believe you fix his plate!’”
LaTanya recalled responding, “I’ve been married 50-something years. Of course I fix his plate.”
The couple’s story goes way back to their college days. LaTanya was at Spelman, Samuel at Morehouse, and they tied the knot in 1980. More than four decades later, they’re still going strong, even when work and home collide.
