Dressing up with Samuel L Jackson

My grandfather gave me my first Kangol hat in the 1960s. It was brown tweed with a leather button. I now have 300 of them. But my biggest extravagance is sneakers, I’ve got 400 Adidas pairs.

My latest headgear is a straw hat I bought from Petersham Nurseries in London. I can roll it, fold it and carry it anywhere.British men have an affinity for good style. There’s a wild side to the common man that I like.

I have very expensive tastes. I’m a cashmere whore, I can’t get away from it; about 40 per cent of my wardrobe is cashmere.

When I was young I always felt like a misfit because I dressed traditionally in shirts with collars, corduroys and tweeds.

At 15, I realised I was wearing what everyone else would be buying the next season. My mum worked as a buyer for a clothing store and brought home samples for me.

I went through a hippie stage for a while and fancied myself living like Jimi Hendrix. I had vests with fringes, bell-bottom pants and a big afro with headbands and little glasses.

I’m no good at buying women’s clothes. I buy sweaters, hats and jackets for my daughter, Zoe, though. If she doesn’t like something, she’s always honest with me and I don’t mind if she passes it on to friends.

I’ve done catwalks several times; for me it’s just another acting job. My catwalk strut is better than most male models. I just stroll around, whereas they look like they’re afraid their shoes are going to fall off.

Quentin Tarantino’s shooting style and process are a lot more ordered than one would think. I’m usually allowed some input to personalise my characters. For Jules in Pulp Fiction I initially wanted a large afro but the PA mistakenly bought a Jheri curl wig. I tried it on anyway and thought it was perfect, so convinced Quentin that it was the way to go.

I kept nothing from Pulp Fiction. People think I have a Bad Mother****er wallet, but I don’t.

For the A Time To Kill premiere in 1996 I wore an oversized Hawaiian shirt and some white shorts. It was the worst.