It’s hard to imagine a time when Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t the unassailable pinnacle of Hollywood cool, but cool is made, not born. And that’s where Gavin Edwards’ new biography of the actor, Bad Motherfucker, comes in. Edwards charts Jackson’s rise from his southern upbringing to his radicalization at Morehouse College, through his struggles with addiction and, finally, his triumph as the highest-grossing actor of all time. In this episode, we talk to Gavin about the definition of cool, Jackson’s contentious relationship with frequent collaborator Spike Lee, and what Gavin discovered from watching all 140 of Jackson’s films.

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Bad Motherfucker: The Life and Movies of Samuel L. Jackson, the Coolest Man in Hollywood by Gavin Edwards Gavin Edwards on Twitter Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: The Story of Schitt’s Creek by Daniel Levy and Eugene Levy Hip-Hop (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano Not All Diamonds and Rosé: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It by Dave Quinn The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family by Ron Howard and Clint Howard Storycraft and Wordcraft by Jack Hart Capote’s Women by Laurence Leamer

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