Walter Mosley, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Omar Benson Miller and Cynthia Kaye McWilliams on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and Samuel L Jackson – The Upcoming

“Sam’s a great actor, he does things that I couldn’t even imagine just with his eyes”: Walter Mosley, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Omar Benson Miller and Cynthia Kaye McWilliams on The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey and Samuel L Jackson

17 March 2022

Samuel L Jackson is one of those versatile Hollywood actors who just has that A-lister screen presence, whether leading a film or playing a supporting role, from his iconic turn in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994) to many a badass character in the director’s other movies from Jackie Brown (1997) to The Hateful Eight (2015), plus more recent roles as Colonel Nick Fury in the MCU and as Mr Glass in M Night Shyamalan’s trilogy. It’s all the more satisfying, then, to see him reinvent himself once more, delving into new territory, this time to tell a story that has personal meaning for him.

Adapting novelist Walter Mosely’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey for the screen was a passion project of Jackson’s and one that has been in the mix since the book was first released over a decade ago. Mosely’s story was inspired by his own experiences of dementia through both his mother and father, and Jackson in turn had his own reasons for wanting to bring the story to a wider audience.

Jackson plays Ptolemy Grey, an elderly man losing his memory, who lives alone in the chaos of a hoarder’s apartment and only has his carer, Reggie, who pops in periodically, for company. When Reggie is shot dead suddenly, Ptolemy’s situation goes from bad to worse. A glimmer of hope appears, however, when a charismatic Dr Rubin offers him a treatment that will allow him to return to his former self. The catch is it will only last just over a month. In this regained time, Ptolemy goes on the hunt for what happened to his murdered nephew, with the help of an unexpected new friend in young Robyn (Dominique Fishback).

Jackson’s transformation is really quite something, both visually (in terms of the different ages he plays Ptolemy), as well as in his demeanour, making himself unrecognisable as a vulnerable 90-year-old. While the series could be triggering for some – playing with the idea there could be a cure for dementia – there is a wonderfully optimistic and compassionate tone brought to what could be very depressing subject matter, a kind of wish fulfilment that those who’ve been touched by the devastating consequences of the disease could find uplifting and cathartic. So while it delves into issues for how we treat the vulnerable in our lives, plus the intersecting issues of racism and social welfare in a capitalist society, it holds an inspirational messag, getting us all to think about caring for one another in the way we would like to be cared for ourselves.

The Upcoming had the chance to speak to some of the cast and Mosely about the making of the six-part series. Marsha Stephanie Blake and Omar Benson Miller spoke about the appeal of the project and their characters of Niecie and Reggie.

Writer Mosley spoke about writing the book, seeing it adapted for the screen and the brilliance of Jackson and his transformation for the role.

Cynthia Kaye McWilliams also spoke about her role as the love of Ptolemy’s life, Sensia, what it was like working with Jackson and what she hopes people will take away from watching the series.