Before Joss Whedon began writing the screenplay for The Avengers, he made sure to take the temperature of all of his actors, including Samuel L. Jackson. “I told him how I saw Nick Fury and his role in the movie and was like ‘Is there anything you’re looking for or anything you particularly want to avoid?’” Whedon recalled. “He was like ‘Hell no. Thank you for asking.’” Well, there was one thing: “Don’t make me run a lot,” Jackson instructed. Unfortunately, one day when the 63-year-old actor showed up for his scene, Whedon had flouted that single, simple rule. “On set he pointed to the page, like, ‘It says Fury runs,’” laughs Whedon. Look, you try running in an eye patch and a floor-length duster! You’ll have the depth perception and mobility of Paz de la Huerta leaving the Chateau Marmont in a straitjacket.
