Looks like I was wrong about that Samuel L. Jackson quote — it really did happen!
Tom did the heavy lifting, and asked the production company; here’s the scoop:
Anyway in answer to your question, similar comments were indeed made on the TV Special ‘SWAT – The Movie’. In the programme Colin is considered a very successful ‘fish out of water’ in LA and the line of questioning was exploring how the Americans view him. Kate was ‘claiming’ Colin as our own in an ‘inclusive’ way. It was meant as a mark of comradeship rather than thievery and being of liberal mind I can assure you Kate has no intention of staking any real claims! It went like this.
KATE THORNTON: Now lets talk about Colin because in the UK he’s become the man of the moment.
SAMUEL L.JACKSON: Really? Only in the UK?
KT: Well everywhere but we kind of claim him as our own because he’s from Ireland.
SLJ: You can’t claim him because he’s from Ireland.
KT: Well we do because it’s close by. (laughter)
SLJ: Ok. That’s the source of all the conflict over there. You people always claiming the Irish as yours. We got a little problem just like that here called slavery but that’s ok we don’t need to talk about that so lets go. (more laughter)
KT: Well Colin is a very well paid slave.
SLJ: Ok good.
KT: As are you.
SLJ: Yeah all right.
KT: What did you know about him before you came to work with him on this project?
SLJ: I knew he was a hot, young, Irish actor who was good looking and I talked to a couple of people about him. I talked to Bruce about him and I talked to some script supervisors that had worked with him on a couple of things and they all loved him.
KT: So you checked him out?
SLJ: Yeah.
[….]
The programme was an irreverent promotional vehicle for SWAT and it’s cast and I must say that Colin gave the most honest interview I’ve ever heard on a junket. Long may his attitude prevail. Does this answer your question and win you the bet?
Yours sincerely,
Rufus Roubicek
Executive Producer
matchboxtv.com