SUCCESSFUL, SOBER AND SUPPORTED

Samuel L Jackson admits he wouldn’t be where he is today without his wife of 42 years, LaTanya Richardson

- KIM ABRAHAMS

HE’S the badass of the silver screen who’s delivered some of cinema’s most iconic and profane one-liners. There are awards on his mantelpiece, a $250 million (R3,6 billion) fortune to his name, and more movie credits than he can count. And he’s showing no sign of slowing down at the age of 73.

But Samuel L Jackson believes if it wasn’t for his wife, LaTanya Richardson, he’d have been in the grave years ago. Years of alcohol and drug abuse saw him spiral out of control as a young man and brought him to the brink of death.

LaTanya (72) not only insisted he clean up his up act but stuck by him through that long, difficult time. And now, as they prepare to celebrate 42 years of marriage, Samuel and LaTanya are offering a glimpse into their private life to drive home one strong message: no matter how tough things may get, don’t give up.

“It takes two people who respect each other, love each other and look out for each other to make a marriage work,” Samuel says.

But, he adds, there’s another reason their relationship has lasted. The pair made a pact early on that they would go the distance to be an example for other black couples. “In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing black people could do was stay together,” LaTanya, who’s also an actor, says.

“In order to change that narrative, we made a decision to say, ‘We’re going to stay together no matter what’.”

And there was plenty of “what” along the way but LaTanya stuck to her guns and Samuel admits she changed his life. “She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be.”