Quentin Tarantino, a prolific filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, actor, and author received a lifetime achievement award at the 2016 Jerusalem Film Festival. And it was during this ceremony that the two-time Academy Award winner reflected on the tapestry of characters he has managed to weave over the course of his career. And interestingly enough, Tarantino shared the name of that one character that he felt was the best role ever written by him.
However, the filmmaker also revealed why exactly he was forced to almost cancel the movie since he thought he cannot find any actor who can bring it to life.
When Leonardo DiCaprio’s Django Unchained co-star saved Quentin Tarantino’s favorite character
During his interaction at the Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino revealed that he carried a deep-seated fondness for his creations. Sometimes way more than the actors who portray these creations. He said, “I like my actors, but I love my characters.”
Furthermore, Tarantino revealed that amidst all the characters he has penned down, there is one in particular that holds a special place in his heart. According to the Pulp Fiction director, the nefarious Hans Landa from the Brad Pitt starring 2009 movie Inglourious Basterds is one of the best characters he has ever written.
“Landa is the best character I’ve written and maybe the best I ever will write. I didn’t realize [when I was first writing him] that he was a linguistic genius. He’s probably one of the only Nazis in history who could speak perfect Yiddish.”
Played by actor Christoph Waltz, who is also famous for his role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained, Hans Landa was actually the reason why the movie almost got scrapped, before Waltz jumped in to save it.
How did Christoph Waltz save Inglourious Basterds?
It’s clear that Tarantino considers the character of Hans Landa as his magnum opus. Admitting how he initially did not recognize the linguistic brilliance he was creating while crafting the character, Tarantino revealed that this exceptional multilingualism almost forced him to give up on the entire movie. He shared,
“I was getting worried,” Tarantino said. “Unless I found the perfect Landa, I was going to pull the movie. I gave myself one more week and then I was going to pull the plug. Then Christoph Waltz came in and it was obvious that he was the guy; he could do everything. He was amazing, he gave us our movie back.”
And undoubtedly, the accolades received by Waltz reveal that he not only saved the movie but also etched the character of Hans Landa in the history of cinema. Having received the Academy Award for the portrayal of Landa, Waltz also clinched the British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Cannes Film Festival Award among many others for his role.
Inglourious Basterds went on to collect over $321 million at the box office and became the highest-grossing film till 2009. With mostly positive reviews from critics, the movie did receive some backlash for taking historical liberties. The film is now available to rent or purchase on Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
