Prolific film actor Samuel L. Jackson moves to the small screen as he stars in Apple TV Plus's new drama series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, debuting March 11.
The six-part series, based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley, explores the exploits of Ptolemy Grey (Jackson), an elderly dementia-stricken man who is mostly shunned by his family and society. With the help of his great nephew Reggie (Omar Benson Miller) and young caretaker Robyn (Dominique Fishback), Grey is introduced to a doctor (Walton Goggins) who offers Grey a new experimental medicine that would restore his memory temporarily but would leave him worse off once it wears off.
“That’s an interesting question for a lot of us,” Jackson told Multichannel News. “If you had a chance to go back and fix one thing in your life, what would it be, and would you do it.”
Multichannel News spoke to Jackson as part of its Content Spotlight podcast.
Jackson, who also serves as executive producer of the series, said that he has been preparing to play the Ptolemy Grey character in his head for years. “It’s a fantastic character for me because I’ve been walking around with him for 12 years or so waiting to [play] him,” he added.
The series also serves as a passion project for Jackson, who lost several family members to the debilitating illness. He added the series provides an opportunity to shine a light on the issues surrounding dementia and on those who struggle with the condition.
“I’ve seen the light go out in several people’s lives, and know that they lived a life worth celebrating, and we needed to take care of them in the end the way they took care of us,” he said.
The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey also stars Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Damon Gupton and Marsha Stephanie Blake. The series is produced by Apple Studios, with Jackson, Mosley, Diane Houslin, Ramin Bahrani, Eli Selden, LaTanya Richardson and David Levine. ■
