In 1996, Steven Seagal died in a movie for the first time. Nobody was happier about it than Samuel L Jackson

Steven Seagal’s character is killed early in the 1996 action film *Executive Decision*, a surprise that Samuel L Jackson later said he welcomed. Jackson joked that Seagal’s departure made the film more likely to be watchable, reflecting his dislike of the actor.

Seagal was reportedly paid $1 million per day for his brief role, despite being second-billed behind Kurt Russell. The article says Seagal had previously avoided roles in which his character died, while Jackson later described his own death scene in *Deep Blue Sea* as his favourite of his career.