Samuel L. Jackson Says He Was ‘Like The Troll In The Basement’ While Battling Addiction

Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, opened up to People recently about the Pulp Fiction actor’s struggle with addiction.

Samuel said, “I had basically moved into the basement of our brownstone … I was like the troll in the basement, and every now and then I'd come upstairs and hover around to do something. I was addicted and being crazy.”

LaTanya insisted that he go to rehab and even made calls for him. “She didn't have to try to fix me … She could've just said, 'Get out,' and left me into the world, let me go and be whatever I was going to be,” Samuel said.

LaTanya added that she felt compelled to help him. “I couldn't do that because I felt as though God had spoken to me and said, 'Now, you can't leave this young man like this. Give him some help. And then, if you feel like leaving afterwards, we'll talk about it,'” she said.

These days, the couple is still going strong. Together they are producing the Apple TV+ series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, starring Samuel as a man with Alzheimer’s.

“It was important for us to tell this story and show that there's a life inside these people that needs to be explored,” he said.