Samuel L Jackson Shares His10 Year Journey to Adapt The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey

We were joined by Executive Producers Samuel L Jackson and Walter Mosley to talk about their 10 year journey adapting the story of Ptolemy Grey to screen and drawing from the stories of Alzheimers around them. Samuel L Jackson emphasized the importance of allowing the audience to judge Ptolemy for both his flair and his blemishes, and how he connected the character with the experiences of his grandfathers and uncles who left the South for Detroit. They wanted to make sure to find the joy and humor in the roles rather than focusing on the end of Ptolemy’s life. During the interview Walter reiterated how the disparity of age, gender, culture, and time forefronts the love between the characters. It was essential to them to impart the joy and connection to the audience and finding enough happiness to enter the darkness of the story.

Watch the full conversation below.

Q&A on the Apple TV+ series The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey with creator/writer/EP Walter Mosley and actor & EP Samuel L. Jackson. Moderated by Joe Neumaier, Film Critic at WOR Radio.

Ptolemy Grey, 91, is on the brink of sinking into dementia, but he experiences a seismic shift when given the opportunity to briefly regain his memories, and he uses this fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew's death and come to terms with his past.