Recently, Buzz Bingo conducted an exhaustive study where they painstakingly measured the number of times an actor has uttered swear words on film. The results placed Samuel L. Jackson, the actor most famous for playing foul-mouthed characters, at the number three spot, with Leonardo Dicaprio at number two andJonah Hilltaking the top spot. Hill was so overjoyed by the findings that he celebrated his victory with an Instagram post.
“So many people to thank. @martinscorsese_ thanks for pushing me over the edge. And of course the great @samuelljackson . Humbled. (Also “new report”? Lol what team of scientists cracked this one?). Lots of love.”
The fact that Hill beatsSamuel L. Jacksonmay surprise many. After all, Jackson has been swearing in films all the way back in the eighties and nineties, when Hill was a mere slip of a boy. Jackson’s swagger in his delivery of various profanities in movies likePulp Fictionhas got its own fan base distinct from the actual movies, so much so that such scenes were referenced as recently as the end ofAvengers: Infinity Waras Nick Fury was about to be dusted.
However, the study was a measure of the quantity of swearing, not quality, and that is where Hill and Dicaprio win out,thanks in large part to Wolf of Wall Street, which contains 715 curses uttered by characters throughout its runtime. Interestingly, Quentin Tarantino, a filmmaker as celebrated for featuring swearing in his movies as Jackson is, only has one movie in the top ten list withReservoir Dogs.
Hill also received a healthy leg-up thanks to hisparticipation in films like SuperbadandSausage Party, in the category of teen and stoner movies, both being genres that delight in inserting expletives into the script for no reason other than comedic impact. Meanwhile, Dicaprio’sWolf of Wall Streetcharacter Jordan Belfort is named the most potty-mouthed character in movie history, with a total of 332 cuss words in a 180-minute film. Other top ten actors with the most swears include Adam Sandler, Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Billy Bob Thornton, Seth Rogen, Bradley Cooper, and Danny McBride.
The study, which might seem like throwaway trivia to a certain extent, actually provides valuable insight into the nature ofprofanity used in films, a recurring source of worry for parents through the years. It was discovered that while there has been a proportional increase in the number of profanities in a movie since the ’40s, movie swearing peaked in the 1990s when a wave of gritty, edgy new cinema was being experimented with.
While Jackson will no doubt be surprised to find that he has been out-cussed by the kid fromSuperbad, it is unlikely to weigh on his mind toom much, since the actor has expressed regret in the past over the fact that his onscreen persona has caused fans to yell and cuss at him in real life as well. Perhaps Jackson, Dicaprio, and Hill can appear together in the next Quentin Tarantino movie to have a swear-off for the ages. This originated atBuzzBingo.
