“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” Apple TV+
For Samuel L. Jackson, the topic of Alzheimer’s disease is a very personal one. The acclaimed actor, who has starred in over 150 movies and made the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-grossing box office actor in Hollywood, has lived with the specter of the debilitating disease as it claimed his mother, grandfather, aunt, and uncle. “I remember one of the rules was don’t ask my mom things that she’s supposed to know the answer to because she can’t come up with the answer. She gets very irritated,” Jackson recalled. In the Apple TV+ original series “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey,” Jackson takes us inside the mind of the titular character who is battling dementia. Based on the novel by acclaimed author Walter Mosley, “Ptolemy Grey” is a blend of familial drama, murder mystery, and science fiction, when Ptolemy takes part in a drug trial that momentarily restores his memories and reveals some shocking truths. IndieWire spoke with Jackson via Zoom to discuss his latest project, working with his wife, actress LaTanya Richardson, and the kind of legacy he hopes to leave behind in Hollywood. IndieWire: Was there anything that you used from your interactions with family members who have dementia to inform your performance as Ptolemy? Samuel L. Jackson: You can’t help but remember certain aspects of their physicality and things that informed you about the kind of mood they were in that day or how that affected them when you spoke to them in a certain way. So, being able to understand and being able to mimic those particular things, hopefully, audiences watching it who have family members or loved ones that are suffering from dementia, can look at that and see the reality of it and not be triggered by it. Of course there’s the fantasy part of the story with the cure that temporarily allows him to be clear and go back in his mind, which informs the story in other ways so that they won’t have to sit there and be depressed watching a person deteriorate, but instead get to watch a person live a full life prior to getting to that particular point. Through a series of flashbacks, we understand that Ptolemy witnessed some horrific acts of violence when he was a child, and Dr. Rubin tells Ptolemy that maybe his memory loss is a blessing in disguise. Since a lot of those memories are rooted specifically in racial trauma, what are your thoughts on that? It depends upon the closeness to that particular experience and what it means. A lot of times people just decide not to remember the trauma and maybe that is a blessing that you’re able to get rid of it. But I don’t think it’s a blessing when your memories are taken from you without your acquiescence to it. If you want to shut something down, then you should have the power to shut it down and not just have something taken from you. I feel that way sometimes because I’m surrounded by Alzheimer’s and dementia, and when I can’t remember something, I feel the frustration of not being able to remember a name that I should know or a place or thing that I should remember. But I don’t dwell on that particular thing because I’m still doing everything I’m supposed to do to make sure that I can do those things. And one of those things is getting up going to work all the time. I’m still remembering lines so I must be okay! Your wife LaTanya Richardson is also an executive producer on “Ptolemy Grey.” What was it like working with her? Working with her, that can be a difficult thing because she is from a theatrical aspect of what we do. That’s what she does. She does performance and character-driven stuff and her opinions always come from that place. I’ve done all the cinematic stuff. So we clash in that way, but it is always a joy to have her input in terms of people because she worked with Dominique on a film in New York before I knew [who] Dominique was. So when we started talking about the role of Robin, [she] was saying, “Dominique, Dominique, Dominique!” for a long time and I asked, “Who are you talking about?” And then I saw “The Deuce,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and then it was, “Oh! that girl.” What’s the best memory you have of you and your wife that you would never want to forget? I guess that would be Zoe, the birth of our child. We were there for that. It was this thing that cemented us, as like this nuclear revolutionary family that we were supposed to be. We have a legacy now, so we have to take care of her. Speaking of legacy, there’s a wonderful piece of dialogue when Ptolemy realizes his purpose in life — he says he thought it was to save Black people but now he realizes it’s to pass on the blessings until everyone is lifted up. What do you hope your legacy will be to younger Black actors like Dominique Fishback and others coming up after you? Hopefully, what I’ve done and how I’ve done it shows that there is an appetite and an audience for us as artists. That I showed up on time, hit my marks, said my lines, and I put a lot of butts in seats. There’s somebody else out there who can do that too, so give them an opportunity to do it. “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey” is streaming now on Apple TV+. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Samuel L. Jackson’s been in Hollywood long enough to build a sizable list of amazing movies that prove he's a brilliant actor, and while he seemingly has no intention of slowing down (especially considering his continued presence in the Marvel universe), time affects us all. The 73-year-old actor is promoting the release of his new Apple TV+ limited miniseries, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, about a man temporarily cured of his Alzheimers thanks to a miracle drug. The subject matter is something that Jackson takes quite seriously, as he opened up his own fears of the disease playing into why he made the role a priority. In a recent interview in support of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, Samuel L. Jackson discussed with inews.co how his mother and several other family members suffered from Alzheimer's. And not only did he want to take on a role spotlighting age-related mental struggles, but he opened up about how his frequent acting gigs across his prolific career tend to help him fight off any fears of contracting the illness. In his words:
Samuel L. Jackson mentioned that he first read Walter Mosley’s book (which he then helped adapt into the series for Apple TV+) ten years ago, and that he immediately related to it. As mentioned, Jackson’s mother suffered from Alzheimer's disease, as did his grandfather. A progressive disease that destroys memory and other important functions needed to work the body, the ailment is a major topic of medical research in the hopes that it can one day be reversed and/or prevented, and Jackson seems to have taken to using dialogue memorization (something other older actors like Judi Dench find new tricks for, though due to other factors of aging) as a way to keep his intellectual acuity coasting. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is not all about Alzheimer's, as Samuel L. Jackson noted, but it does play a part of the miniseries' story. Jackson talked more about how his family suffered from the genetic illness, and how it drove him to bring this adaptation to life.
The good news is that Samuel L. Jackson is allegedly in good health, and is keeping busy in Hollywood. That much is clear in The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, where Jackson plays a 93-year-old man with dementia. As mentioned, the man receives a miracle drug that allows him to retain all his memories for a brief time, which he then uses to attempt and solve the murder of his great-nephew. It’s definitely a project that’s different than some of Jackson’s more recent works (including Marvel's upcoming Secret Invasion show), but given the personal connection to Jackson the story provides and his talents as an actor, it's possible this is added to the list of the best Apple TV+’s shows so far by the time it's concluded. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey is currently available to stream on Apple TV+ with new episodes premiering on Fridays. It’s one of many great new TV shows on the way, so be sure to keep an eye on everything coming up in the world of streaming and television this year. |
What disease does Samuel L Jackson have?
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