Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson's relationship was built on a pact: that they would stay together no matter what.
Of course, there are probably a million celebrity couples out there who set out with these best intentions, but few actually see them through. Samuel and LaTanya are among the rare breed, now celebrating over 50 years together and 41 years of marriage.
They weren't the celebrities they are today when they first met, of course. The two met in college and have been together ever since.
"In the beginning, we always said the most revolutionary thing that Black people could do was stay together, raise their children with the nucleus of having a father and a mother, since everybody likes to pretend that that's not the dynamic of the African American family. That it's just children out here being raised by women, which we know is false," LaTanya told People.
"In order to change that narrative, we made a decision to say, 'We are going to stay together no matter what. We'll figure it out.'"
When they made that pact, they had no idea what the future held. Upholding it through fame, and through Samuel's battle with addiction, wasn't always easy. Still, LaTanya was steady and helped him get into rehab and pick up the pieces. Samuel credits her with being a major influence behind his over 30 years of sobriety.
"She gave me the chance to be the man I was supposed to be," he said.
Samuel's career has reached unthinkable heights, though they are both very humble about their successes individually and as a couple.
"Coming from the kind of backgrounds we come from and the people that raised us, we learn that we're not better than anybody else," he shared.
"A job is a job. We were fortunate enough to have a job."
Every July, Samuel and LaTanya, a Tony-nominated actress, take time off to spend with daughter Zoe and friends. There's only one rule during that time.
"Don't wake anybody up," he shared.
"You sleep when you sleep. Then we come together and eat."
The couple is also going to be working together. The two are producing partners on the Apple TV+ limited series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, a drama starring Samuel as a man with dementia caused by Alzheimer's. The subject is close to Samuel, whose grandfather and mother both suffered from Alzheimer's.
"I'm amazed at how busy we are in our seventh decade," LaTanya notes.
"I'm grateful because I think of all the things that could be."
When it comes to their secret to a successful marriage, Samuel puts it simply.
"It's two people who respect each other, love each other and look out for each other."
