Pam Grierhad her breakthrough in Hollywood after starring inFoxy BrownandCoffyin the 1970s. She’s the first African-American woman to ever star in an action film. When talking about iconic actresses in Hollywood, there’s no doubt that Pam Grier has created a league of her own.
After starring in Quentin Tarantino’s iconic filmJackie Brownin 1997, the actress cemented her Hollywood status. She earned her first Golden Globe Award nomination and received multiple awards from it. The actress has become one of the first female action heroes on the big screen, and she believes that the success of her films paved the way for keeping the mainstream industry alive.
When asked about how she’s achieved so much success during her prime, she toldEntertainment Weekly, “The audience saw themselves in the leads and the characters and that expanded the marketplace. Sometimes you just have to do it — build it and they will come.”
The actress credits her previous experiences in life when asked how she managed to stay on top and take on various films. She confessed, “I have a high tolerance to physical and mental pain, but there are films that I turn down that I know I cannot take and revisit a traumatic experience. It might win me that Oscar, but I’m not here for awards. I’m here to have people think and reconsider their thoughts and judgments.”
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Working with Samuel L. Jackson Has Left a Mark on Pam Grier
One of the most memorable and notable scenes the actress still remembers today is working with Samuel L. Jackson onJackie Brown. Grier portrayed the role of Jackie Brown, a flight attendant caught smuggling money. The actress described her experience in the film as both rewarding and difficult.
While performing a scene with Jackson, she’s had a hard time keeping up with how fast he talks. She said, “I said, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to speak that fast with Sam Jackson, walking down the steps, not looking at the steps. I’m going to kill myself!’ I said, ‘Quentin, I’m going to fall. Can we just finish with me lying down there on the steps saying I can’t keep up with this man?’ He talks so fast!”
The 73-year-old actress admitted that she was initially terrified to accept the role but went on with it since she believed she was chosen for a reason. She said, “I was ready to work with Quentin and give him what he needed. He only uses one or two takes. When he works you and you feel it, and you’re in the groove, man, it just flies.”
