Samuel L. Jackson Says His Family's Love Helped Him Get Over Addiction

Samuel L. Jackson credits his family's love for helping him overcome his addiction. He and his wife of 41 years, Broadway actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson, opened up about the ordeal as they sat down for an interview with People.

Early on in his marriage and career, Samuel reportedly became addicted to drugs, due to which he was not emotionally present for his family.

"I had basically moved into the basement of our brownstone. I was like the troll in the basement, and every now and then I'd come upstairs and hover around to do something. I was addicted and being crazy," the 73-year-old actor told the outlet.

But his wife, who wasn't ready to give up, insisted he go to rehab. She even made calls to find him a spot. "She didn't have to try to fix me. She could've just said, 'Get out,' and left me into the world, let me go and be whatever I was going to be," he recalled.

LaTanya, now 72, said leaving him wasn't an option. "I couldn't do that because I felt as though God had spoken to me and said, 'Now, you can't leave this young man like this. Give him some help. And then, if you feel like leaving afterward, we'll talk about it.'"

In an interview with Vanity Fair last year, Samuel shared that he spent 28 days in rehab, and he simply hated every single day in that place. But during his stay, he learned about how alcoholism ran in families, and he finally acknowledged how bad he had it. If there was a six-pack of beer, he could never have just one; he needed to drink them all.

"I never thought I was an alcoholic; I just drank all my life. But I was a blackout drinker: I would wake up in places and not know how I got there," he said back then.

Now, Samuel has been in recovery for more than 30 years, and he can't thank his wife enough for helping change his life for the better. "She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be," he said, as per People.

Today, his films — including massive franchises like "Star Wars", "Avengers" and "The Incredibles" — have collectively raked in nearly $18.5 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time.