Back in the ’90s, Quentin Tarantino had a hard time convincing studios to develop his script for a film, which would become one of his most acclaimed works to date. But this wasn’t the lone challenge Tarantino faced in his mission to develop Pulp Fiction, as the casting for the project wasn’t as smooth sailing because of the director’s adamancy.
After convicted s-x offender Harvey Weinstein’s production house, Miramax, took the project under its wings, Tarantino was hellbent on getting John Travolta on board to play Vincent Vega. In the process, the Django Unchained director risked shelving the entire project, even though he had one of the best actors of all time on standby for the role.
Quentin Tarantino Wasn’t Ready to Settle With Anyone Except John Travolta
Despite not being the most prominent filmmaker in the market at the time, Quentin Tarantino was not ready to budge when he was offered other major A-listers for Pulp Fiction instead of Travolta. The actors who were initially approved for Vincent Vega involved notable actors, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn, William Hurt, and even Bruce Willis, who starred in Pulp Fiction as Butch.
But Tarantino wasn’t ready to settle, as he made his agent at the time, Mike Simpson from William Morris Endeavor, jeopardize Pulp Fiction‘s production to get John Travolta involved. Recounting the experience, Simpson explained that the negotiations went down to the wire. Per Vanity Fair, Simpson explained,
“At midnight our time, three in the morning in New York, Harvey said, ‘Let’s just close the deal, and we’ll address that tomorrow in good faith,’” Simpson recalled, telling him, “‘You’re going to agree to it right now, or there’s no deal.’”
While it’s pretty reasonable to assume Daniel Day-Lewis would’ve nailed the character, following Travolta’s iconic performance, it’s easy to see why Tarantino was fixated on getting him.
Uma Thurman Was Reluctant About Joining Pulp Fiction
Getting Uma Thurman onboard for the crime drama was also a pretty daunting task. Following the film’s dark subject matter, especially the r-pe of her character’s mob boss husband, in addition to the Gimp scenes, it’s pretty obvious why she was initially reluctant about the offer. She told Vanity Fair:
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the movie… I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it, because I was worried about the Gimp stuff,”
Thankfully, every demand of Tarantino was met, and both John Travolta and Uma Thurman joined the film, which skyrocketed Tarantino’s ascend to becoming one of the best in the business.
Pulp Fiction is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Vanity Fair
