Samuel L Jackson’s Django Unchained features a lot of standout performances. When the film first debuted in 2012, it caused controversy for obvious reasons, but it also received positive reviews from critics. This is clear from the fact that Christoph Waltz, a newcomer, won his first Oscar for the film.
Also, Leonardo DiCaprio received a second Oscar nomination at the same time. However, Jamie Foxx once claimed that it was Jackson’s performance that put other actors on edge.
Speaking of this 2012 film’s director, Quentin Tarantino is one of the most well-liked and prosperous filmmakers of all time in Hollywood. Fans and critics have praised almost every movie in his body of work, which spans a variety of genres. Some of them include crime drama, black comedy, and even a spaghetti western, which are known to explore a wide range of themes and ideas.
Tarantino has developed a variety of stylistic elements, such as the use of graphic violence, dark humor, needle drops, and catchy quotes. However, his American Western revisionist film contained a few lesser-known behind-the-scenes facts. Let’s dive into a few of them.
Why Samuel L Jackson’s Performance Was A Major Concern For His Co-Star?
Well, it’s a well-known fact that Samuel L Jackson portrayed the ruthless slave owner’s right-hand man in Django Unchained. Both the audience and critics praised his performance highly, but some may have found it to be uncomfortable.
In 2012, it was suggested that Jackson’s acting was even too uncomfortable for the Oscars. And the theory was even addressed by the 47-year-old American actor-producer in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, responding:
“Well, the point of that award is that you were an actor in a film who made a dynamic impact on the story with a memorable character. And would anyone else playing the part have been as impactful? That should be the question — did you do your job? Yes. Did I make you hate me? Yes. Did I inhabit the character full enough to make you believe that, and make you uncomfortable enough to make you hate me? Yes.”
Nevertheless, there was one fellow cast member he was worried about during his performance, and that was Scandal alum, Kerry Washington.
“I did spend a lot of time being concerned about Kerry when we were doing the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio and I were jerking her around and ripping her clothes off. She is one of those actors who holds onto things for a while.”
The Pulp Fiction actor further added:
“So when Quentin says ‘cut,’ she’s back in the kitchen crying, and I’m going in saying, ‘All right, are we going too hard? Do I need to tell Leo not to grab you that hard? Is he spinning you around too much? … All right, come on — give me a hug. Smile!’”
His Performance Has Caused Some of the Cast to Have Sleepless Nights
Jamie Foxx is an accomplished and versatile actor, who is well-known in Hollywood. After all, it was his versatility that earned him an Oscar for Ray. But even Foxx admitted that Samuel L Jackson’s performance was the movie’s standout feature.
Foxx raved in an interview with Collider about his final few scenes with Jackson before the picture came to an end.
“I don’t want to give it away. But the end is classic. It ends up with myself and Samuel L. Jackson at the very end of the movie.”
However, Foxx even experienced some uncomfortable moments during the Pulp Fiction star’s act. And he shared that every performer had trouble sleeping because of Jackson’s performance.
“I even had mentioned to Quentin that Samuel Jackson was housing the part. People wouldn’t go to sleep at night because they knew they had to act against Samuel the next morning. He was kicking everybody’s a*s in the scene.”
The film featured a stellar cast that included Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Walton Goggins, James Remar, Michael Parks, and Don Johnson.
For the unversed, Franco Nero, who starred in the 1966 film, Django, also made a cameo appearance in this 2012 movie.
Source- Entertainment Weekly
