Samuel L. Jackson the snake charmer

Samuel L. Jackson was the perfect choice for Snakes on a Plane, one of the most internet-hyped movies to be released this year.

Samuel L. Jackson is starring in one of the most internet-hyped films of all time, Snakes on a Plane. There's no rhyme or reason about why there's such a buzz on this as-yet-unseen-film, but the name says it all.

"I was sitting at home reading the trades and I came across this film title. I emailed Ronny Yu, who was supposed to direct it, and I asked him if it was a euphemism for anything else or if it was really about snakes on a plane. And he said, 'Yeah, it's poisonous snakes let loose on a plane'. I was like, 'Oh cool! Can I be in it?' "

Jackson's booming voice breaks into laughter in the up-market Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. "I never even saw a script. Didn't have to. It's just a concept. Snakes on a plane, and then you put me in that kind of mix and what I've done and the characters I've played, then you have the hype. There's the story."

At least Jackson isn't window dressing the obvious low-brow element to this much-awaited movie. "It's not Snakes on Brokeback Mountain. It's just snakes on a plane. You either want to see it or you don't."

At 57, Jackson is still one of Hollywood's "coolest" actors and is as famous for his diverse hairstyles in each movie as he is for his penchant for cursing through just about every one of his 107 films. With the exception of Star Wars, Jackson is most famously known for his tough-guy roles in Pulp Fiction (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), Shaft, or Rules of Engagement.

Jackson never got within reach of a snake during filming. "We had to have CGI and rubber snakes. In the film there's a lot of chaos and people running. The only people who worked with real snakes were the stunt people who knew how to move around them. There were 200-400 snakes lying around the floor at any time. I'd hate to have had the job of the guy who had to count them and keep up with them at all times."

Does Jackson harbour any phobias about snakes? "No. No phobias, other than unemployment." If that's Jackson's worst fear, he must sleep well at night. As one of Hollywood's most prolific actors, he has several films in the making. "People think I'm a workaholic. I don't describe myself that way. But I love to work, I love to be on movie sets - that's where I feel most at home."

Jackson has been married for 25 years to actress LaTanya Richardson, with whom he worked recently in Freedomland. "LaTanya works when she feels like it. My daughter just finished cooking school. She's grown up now and lives in New York. They both come to visit me on set wherever I am. We have it pretty good."

Pretty good is pretty much an understatement. Jackson can pick and choose his projects, and because of the reaction from internet fans, the audience seems to love Jackson's persona.

In fact, in an unprecedented case, Newline Films reshot some of the scenes after a fan on the internet created an audio trailer for Snakes on a Plane featuring Jackson screaming the expletive with which he has become synonymous: "I want these mother**** snakes off the mother**** plane!"

It would seem that Snakes on a Plane has revolutionised the rules of marketing for the do-it-yourself digital era. "The smartest thing NewLine did was to leave it to the people. When fans started making [Snakes on a Plane] T-shirts, they didn't start shouting about copyright infringement. They even had to change the title [from a sober Pacific Flight 121] after we saw what was happening on the internet. It's now one of the best movie titles ever."

Jackson seems as passionate about his much-loved hobby, golf, as he is about his career. "It's in my contract that I have to play twice a week when I'm working. It's usually easy unless it's Toronto in the dead of winter. Occasionally they'll say, 'Hey Samuel, you can get on a plane and go and play golf today'. And I'll do it.

"When we did Rules of Engagement in Morocco they found me a nine-hole pseudo-golf course in the desert. I didn't care. I play golf every day when I'm not working. I get up at 5.30 and go to the golf course. I can't complain about much. It's all good."

LOWDOWN

Who: Samuel L. Jackson, actor

Born: December 21, 1948, Washington DC

Key roles: Pulp Fiction (1994); Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004); Star Wars (Episodes I-III, 1999-2005) Latest role: Snakes On a Plane, opens August 24