How Samuel L. Jackson used his personal experiences for “Fight Night”

Taraji P. Henson poses in front of the hottest chair at the premiere of Fight Night: The Million Dollar Robbery.

There is a line from her Fight Night Co-stars wait to be photographed on a metallic gold, button-up sofa that was flown in especially for the New York after-party. Those in attendance might think it’s an inspired set from the limited series based on a storied 1970s Atlanta piece, but the sofa has a story of its own. More on that later.

Fight Night follows the true events surrounding October 26, 1970, the night Muhammad Ali made a historic comeback to boxing after a three-year suspension for refusing to evade the draft. At the same time, across town, a celebration hosted by Atlanta numbers cruncher Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (played by Kevin Hart) went horribly wrong. Chicken Man’s brazen attempts to impress notorious New York mobster Frank Moten (Samuel L. Jackson), the party’s guest of honor, went completely awry when they entered the house party. Chicken Man, Moten and nearly 100 other wealthy guests fall victim to one of the city’s biggest robberies.

The series is based on the true crime podcast by Atlanta-based screenwriter and podcaster Jeff Keating and film producer Will Packer and was released on iHeartPodcast in October 2020. The podcast caught the attention of Kevin Hart, who signed on as lead actor and executive producer when Peacock ordered the series.

With Hart on board, Packer made his next call as he began building the ensemble cast: “Sam Jackson… We went straight to the big dog,” Packer said The Hollywood Reporter at the series premiere in New York City on Wednesday. “I said, ‘Hey, Sam, we have something for you, brother. This is going to be good. We’re all in. And when you come in, you’re going to be our anchor and we’re going to be able to build an incredible cast around you.'”

Jackson’s great talent has shaped the series in more ways than one. The award-winning actor has personal connections to Fight Night‘s story. “I knew Sam was in Atlanta at the time this was all happening. What I didn’t know was that we were filming in the neighborhood where his wife was from and that he had been married 40 years ago in the church around the corner,” said series creator and showrunner Shaye Ogbonna. “Samuel Jackson is part of the constituency that I feel responsible for telling the story accurately.”

Packer couldn’t agree more. “Sam was a fountain of information the whole time. He would tell us if we didn’t get something right – if that wasn’t the watch they were wearing, if that wasn’t the way they looked,” said the executive producer. “Sam was very serious about it because he had experienced it himself. He was at Morehouse College at the time, so he was like an extra researcher to us, making sure we stayed on track. Sam would say we got that right, and that meant a lot coming from him.”

Fight NightThe outstanding ensemble of brings together several actors, including Taraji P. Henson, who plays Chicken Man’s right-hand man and lover Vivian Thomas, while Terrence Howard plays Moten’s enforcer Cadillac Richie. Henson and Howard both had their breakthrough when they starred in 2005’s Hectic and flow and 10 years later in the TV series Rich.

Don Cheadle plays JD Hudson, one of the first black detectives in the desegregated Atlanta Police Department, who is assigned to the robbery case. Cheadle and Henson directed the biopic Talk to me in 2007. Although they did not spend much time together, Fight Nightthey met off set and have stayed in touch over the years. “It’s like home,” Cheadle said of working with Henson. “I love her. I’m a huge fan of her work and I’m always happy when we get the chance to get back together.”

Back at the after-party at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Howard stayed true to character, wearing a Farrah Fawcett-inspired feather wig, while Cheadle was outfitted by British bespoke tailor Ozawald Boateng. Other Fight Night Co-stars Jackson, Sinqua Walls, Chloe Bailey, Dexter Darden, Lori Harvey, and party guests Ego Nwodim, Amber Ruffin, Busta Rhymes and others made their way to the gold sofa for photos. The lavish decor comes from the office of former Roc Nation senior vice president Lenny “Kodak Lens” Santiago, who brings his love of photographing Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s private parties to Hollywood.

When asked about the importance of the couch for Fight NightSantiago said the following: “The couch has become a kind of aspirational object. I used to be an A&R in the music business, where I would sign artists, develop talent, and then showcase those artists and people I liked on the couch. Now it’s become aspirational object, like, ‘Look, I’m going to make it on the couch.’ Because the people who sit on the couch have made it in one way or another, and it doesn’t matter what capacity, hairdresser, mechanic, director, producer… The couch has become so popular that it’s taken on a life of its own.”

Fight NightThe first three episodes are now streaming on Peacock, with new episodes available on Thursdays.