Samuel L. Jackson made such an impression with his brief appearance as Mace in Episode I that his role was expanded significantly for Episode II, which finds Windu in the thick of the action. The prequel-sequel promises to present Jackson in full lightsaber attack mode--something that fans and the actor himself have been anticipating since he first took his seat beside Yoda on the Jedi Council.

Back then, Jackson was already a star, primarily known for his breakthrough roles in Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Jungle Fever. But since Star Wars, Jackson has become even more of a household name, considered not just one of America's finest actors (thanks to Fiction and Fever, as well as Fresh, The Red Violin, 187, Jackie Brown, and Eve's Bayou), but also one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, with not only Shaft under his belt but also such recent hits as Unbreakable, Rules of Engagement, and The Negotiator.

But as he did with Star Wars, Jackson also loves acting so much that he often takes roles in movies that intrigue him, no matter how small the part. That's how he ended up, for instance, in one scene of Oscar-winning director Stephen Soderbergh's nifty noir Out of Sight, or as shark meat in the hit action flick Deep Blue Sea. And while he's been in blockbusters like Jurassic Park and The Phantom Menace, Jackson still stars in independent features like The Caveman's Valentine, which he also produced.

Jackson, 52, began his acting career in Atlanta, where he graduated from Morehouse College in 1972 with a degree in Theatre Arts. He soon made the move to New York City, doing street theater, children's theater, repertory theater--just about any kind of theater he could do, even working as Bill Cosby's stand-in for a few seasons of The Cosby Show.

The parts and venues grew, and by the end of the '80s, Jackson slowly began getting small parts in big movies, like Eddie Murphy's Coming to America, Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. His big break came in 1991 when his riveting performance in Lee's Jungle Fever garnered him widespread praise and a special supporting acting award created just for him at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

The seminal Pulp Fiction followed three years later, resulting in an Oscar nomination and an indelible place in moviegoers' memories as the fire-and-brimstone hit man who wants to walk the world like Caine from Kung Fu.

Since then, it's been a constant stream of movies, resulting in the actor ending the 1990s as the decade's most prolific actor, having appeared in more films--36--than any other performer of the '90s, according to trade paper Variety. (He also ranks as the decade's top-grossing actor, with his 36 films combining to earn over .7 billion.) The nonstop pace makes sense, considering that Jackson, in addition to being such an engaging actor, is also a true fan of the movies. He spent much of his youth in Chattanooga, Tennessee, watching swashbucklers, sci-fi, and other adventures. He retained that enthusiasm throughout his life--showing up, for instance, on the opening day of the original Star Wars in 1977.

The story of the clash between the Rebels and the Empire so intrigued Jackson that he returned time and again to see Star Wars and its sequels, beginning a lifelong fascination with the saga he first discussed with the Insider in 1996, when he recalled, "I was totally blown away. ... I've seen it eight or nine times since. In fact, I'm trying to find George Lucas now so I can be in his prequel" (Star Wars Insider #32).

Now, five years later, Samuel L. Jackson is living out his Star Wars dream. Not only did he land a plum role in Episode I, but he's back with a vengeance in Episode II. Indeed, when the Insider sat down with him on the Star Wars set in Sydney, Jackson had just finished rehearsing a lightsaber battle sequence--something he told us he'd always wanted to do--with stunt coordinator Nick Gillard, the same fight choreographer who had previously put Jackson through his paces on Shaft.

Once again, the two would create the fighting style for a life-risking cat who strikes with force when there's danger all about--Mace. Mace Windu.

You just finished a fight rehearsal with Nick Gillard. Was that fun?

Nick is the man. This is my second go-round with Nick--he also did Shaft. Now he's doing lightsaber battles for us all, and a lot of Kendo stuff. I guess that, because I'm such a fan of Japanese samurai movies and I've watched a lot of Kendo fights, I'm doing pretty well at it. It's basically a lot more footwork than I thought. For the sword stuff, getting the feet right and getting the steps so you can actually do it right--it's a lot like dance choreography. The feet have to be right so that the strikes look correct.

He's put together a pretty exciting and incredible fight for me. And since I'm supposedly the second baddest person in the universe, I'm pretty efficient. I don't do a lot of fancy sword-twirling or anything. I dispense people pretty quickly, use as little energy as possible. But I'm pretty bad.

Did you have to train for this film?

When I was first on the set, about a month before, Nick showed me certain things to work on when I got home. I've been doing it very intensely for the past two days--so I'll be ready by next week when it's time.

At the MTV Movie Awards, George announced that he thought you were going to be up on that stage soon accepting for the best fight sequence.

Yeah he did, didn't he? Put a lot of pressure on me to do some major butt-kicking here. So hopefully that'll happen.

In the last movie, as you've said, you spent most of the time in the Jedi Council.

Yeah, just kinda' chillin'. Being kind of wise and all-knowing and just sitting around. But you know, I'm up on my feet and doing work now. It's going to be great. You're going to see another side of Mace Windu.