Legendary director Quentin Tarantino managed to convince the iconic Robert De Niro to play a supporting role in his 1997 film Jackie Brown with just a detailed conversation about the character’s shoes. While speaking at a UCLA event in 2016, Tarantino revealed how a silly discussion about the shoes worn by De Niro’s character Louis Gara convinced the actor to be a part of the movie.
So when De Niro asked Tarantino about Louis’ shoes, the director gave a thorough description of the black clunky shoes with curled toes that Louis wears after being in jail for five years.
How did Quentin Tarantino convince Robert De Niro to do Jackie Brown?
According to IndieWire, Quentin Tarantino revealed how a silly discussion about the shoes worn by Robert De Niro’s character Louis Gara convinced the actor to be a part of the movie.
As Tarantino explains, “The minute Robert De Niro figures out the pair of shoes his character would wear, that’s about 75% of him getting a handle on who the character is.”
So when De Niro asked Tarantino about Louis’ shoes, the director gave a thorough description of the black clunky shoes with curled toes that Louis wears after being in jail for five years. Tarantino shared that since Louis has been in jail for five years, he only has access to the clothes from when he was arrested including a pair of dress shoes that have become worn out and misshapen from years of use in jail.
Tarantino shared, “Because he has been in jail for five years, he took off his street clothes, all those street clothes were put into a paper bag. So, he’s just been wearing the clothes that were in that paper bag for the last five years, and then the toe of the shoe got folded over a little because of all the stuff down.”
As Tarantino puts it, “Needless to say, he really enjoyed the detail that I gave him, so I ended up working with Robert De Niro.”
This small but vivid detail about the shoes convinced De Niro to take on the role without any hesitation.
Jackie Brown is a 1997 crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Pam Grier in the title role alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, and Michael Keaton in supporting roles. The plot follows Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who smuggles money for an arms dealer but decides to keep the money for herself.
The film pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation movies and features Quentin Tarantino’s signature nonlinear storytelling style. Released by Miramax in December 1997, Jackie Brown was both a critical and commercial success.
How did Jackie Brown help revive Pam Grier and Robert Forster’s careers?
Jackie Brown marked a revival in the acting careers of leads Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Grier rose to fame in the 1970s with blaxploitation movies like Coffy, Foxy Brown but hadn’t had a leading role in years. Forster was struggling to find work before his Oscar-nominated turn as Max Cherry in Jackie Brown.
So the movie provided a career resurgence for both Grier and Forster. Grier’s fierce performance as the quick-thinking flight attendant earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. And Forster bagged an Academy Award nomination for his role as sympathetic bail bondsman Max Cherry.
The detailed talk about shoes shows Tarantino’s prowess with character-building. And it definitely helped convince the legendary Robert De Niro to play a fantastic supporting character in the classic crime caper Jackie Brown. With career-defining performances and Tarantino’s signature style, the film has certainly stood the test of time.
