Samuel L. Jackson once had a challenging time dealing with drug addiction. His addiction was so powerful that at one point Jackson wasn’t even sure he could act while being sober.

Samuel L. Jackson had a very good theater reputation despite his drug addiction

Samuel L. Jackson | Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Earlier in his career, Jackson was climbing up the ranks in his profession by performing in several plays. He asserted that he’d always strive to do good professional work regardless of his drug addiction.

“I had a very good theatre reputation. Granted, I was a f***ing drug addict and I was out of my mind a lot of the time, but I had a good reputation. Showed up on time, knew my lines, hit my marks. I just wasn’t making a lot of money, but I was very satisfied artistically,” Jackson once told The Guardian.

The only thing preventing Jackson from realizing his fullest potential was his addiction. So it was no wonder that he was able to excel after he was able to treat himself.

“I was doing Pulitzer prize-winning plays. I was working with people who made me better, who challenged me. So I was doing things the right way, it was just that one thing that was in the way – my addiction. And once that was out of the way, it was – boom! The door blew wide open,” he added.

Samuel L. Jackson doubted he could act without using drugs

Jackson once feared that his career might be worse off after his drug addiction was treated. The actor would eventually check himself into rehab to conquer his addiction for the sake of both his professional and personal life. This was in large part due to help from his wife LaTanya Richardson, who maintained her faith in her husband.

“She didn’t have to try to fix me,” he once told People. “She could’ve just said, ‘Get out,’ and left me into the world, let me go and be whatever I was going to be.”

But after going to rehab and getting better, Jackson faced a new challenge. He wasn’t sure he could be the same gifted actor he once was while in a state of sobriety. It was one of the reasons why Jackson didn’t believe becoming a movie star could be possible for him.

“When I was in rehab, I remember doubting if I could be an actor without using drugs, because I’d never done anything without drugs or alcohol before,” he once told The Hollywood Interview. “That was the first thing I’d done substance-free. So it never occurred to me that it was going to happen, but I knew that I just couldn’t give up on the acting thing, because it’s just who I was, and who I am. I still have lots of friends in New York doing plays, making a living. And if I hadn’t had the breaks that I’ve had, I’d probably be back there with them.”