LaTanya reflects on hurdles of directing husband Samuel L. Jackson

LaTanya Richardson Jackson is proving that giving directions at work and running the household are two completely different games—and she’s nailing both.

In a new interview airing Tuesday, April 8 on Sherri, the 75-year-old actress and director opens up about what it was really like directing her husband, Samuel L. Jackson, in the 2022 Tony-nominated Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson. 

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

When Sherri Shepherd, 57, asked if her Oscar-nominated husband takes direction well, LaTanya didn’t hold back. “No,” she replied with a grin, before adding, “because he's so old” he “thinks he knows everything.”

"He's been there, done that, and who are you," she told Shepherd, summing up the energy she sometimes faced on set. But make no mistake, when it came to calling the shots, she set the tone right from the get-go. 

“In this room, it's about what I say,” LaTanya recalled telling her husband, adding that it was crucial for the entire cast to take her direction seriously. “I need them listening to me,” she said.

And if Samuel’s decades of experience got the best of him? LaTanya had a plan. “Okay, go sit over there then, because we're over here working,” she’d tell him with a wave. Classic.

Back at home, their daughter Zoe Jackson was apparently stunned by her mom’s ability to juggle both worlds. 

“I cannot believe you fix his plate!” Zoe told her. But LaTanya, who met Samuel while studying at Spelman College before tying the knot in 1980, didn’t miss a beat.

“I’ve been married 50-something years. Of course I fix his plate,” she said, casually reminding us all of her old-school love mixed with modern-day boss energy.

Recently, Samuel and Zoe turned up the family pride, showing their full support for LaTanya during the opening of Purpose, where she takes on the role of Claudine Jasper. 

One thing’s for sure—whether on stage or off, LaTanya is clearly running the show.