Nothing says fear quite like Samuel L. Jackson barking at you to say the n-word in front of rolling TV cameras.
But Jake Hamilton, host of Houston’s Fox TV affiliate show Jake’s Takes, was forced to look that fear in the eyes during a recent interview with the Pulp Fiction star.
“There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the usage of the N-word in this movie,” Hamilton began his question as Jackson, 64, looked on stoically.
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“No? Nobody? None? The word would be…” the actor feigned confusion.
“I don’t want to say it. I don’t like to say it,” Hamilton stuttered.
The awkward exchange continued as Jackson demanded that Hamilton say the derogatory term on-camera.
“We’re not gonna have this conversation unless you say it,” Jackson said straight-faced.
“I don’t want to say it…can you say it?” Hamilton said later after Jackson finally relented and began cracking up.
“Oh f–k no, it’s not the same thing,” Jackson replied. “It wasn’t a great question if you can’t say the word.”
The video of the uncomfortable interview went viral on Reddit, with users weighing in on how they thought the TV host should have handled the situation. Hamilton stands by his decision not to say the term.
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“Whatever the video’s doing today, making the rounds, it’s not as bad as it would be if I had actually said it,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “The last thing that my affiliate needs is one of their reporters going around saying the N-word and broadcasting it everywhere.”
