NEW YORK -- He's so cool. How cool?

Only Samuel L. Jackson could top his Star Wars prequel performance as Yoda's Jedi friend.

"I'm supposed to start Shaft in August," reports a spunky Jackson at the Regency Hotel, wearing his trademark backwards Kangol hat.

The Shaft he is referring to is the '90s John Singleton remake of the 1971 picture.

"Why Shaft?" repeats a puzzled Jackson, thinking the answer is obvious. "Because he gets a lot of women. I've never had a chance to do that on screen."

Chances are, nobody will do Shaft like Jackson. Even the original Shaft, Richard Roundtree, might approve of Jackson redefining the super cool black private eye.

Memorable roles in Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and The Negotiator give Jackson worthy Shaft tough guy credibility.

Meanwhile, the 50-year-old just completed filming Rules Of Engagement with Tommy Lee Jones in Morocco, where Jackson is a Marine colonel on trial for a mass murder, and defended by Jones' lawyer.

Later this summer, Jackson is featured in a new shark thriller, Deep Blue Sea, "because I never did a big monster movie and I always wanted to."

So did they use real sharks? "Hell, no!" he says smiling, "I have a career."

As most know, part of that career is invested in that other summer feature, Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom

Menace, which continues to score big at the box office.

Jackson thought the Star Wars prequel would do well, but he was overwhelmed a few weeks ago by the fan response when he returned to the U.S from the isolation of Morocco.

"Star Wars fans would stand in front of me, and demand, 'Sign my doll.' People with posters in their backpacks would whip them out in front of me, 'I just happen to have my Star Wars poster with me for you to sign.' "

And now Jackson's Mace Windu is a hot Star Wars item, the Mace Windu doll even out-selling the Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"It's probably because more black people are buying them," he says smiling.

"Notice? More brothers in the Phantom Menace future than there were in the first ones.

"Come on. We're all in important places. We got a brother who is Captain of the Queen's guard. Okay, she does get captured a lot."

Jackson shrugs: "And ya gotta figure that brother's not going to have that job for very long."

What about Jackson's job in the next two Star Wars episodes?

"Haven't signed yet, but Mace has to play out," he says. "And George Lucas did say on the Rosie O'Donnell show that I would have a significant part in the next one. Hopefully, I can get that tape and give it to my agent."

Things change, don't they? A long time ago in a movie theatre not that far away, Jackson vividly recalls being in the audience when Star Wars opened.

"Nobody knew anything about it," he says. "The only people there were drug addicts, and I was right in there with my nickel bag rolled up and a couple of beers.

"I thought it was a cool Errol Flynn adventure movie in outer space. There were no lineups for two weeks, then the word went out."

Pop culture icon. "Yeah," says Jackson.

"I'm just starting out as one myself. I'm actually a pop reference in Elmore Leonard's novel Be Cool."

Jackson smiles, proud of his achievement. "There's a character in there who says he has his Kangol hat on backwards like his favourite movie star, Samuel L. Jackson."

How cool is that?


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