This star had a strange day landing a role in this iconic Quentin Tarantino film

News culture This star had a strange day landing a role in this iconic Quentin Tarantino film

An iconic first film, an iconic second film

In 1992, a film was released in cinemas that caused a stir and catapulted its director into the Hollywood spheres of influence. With “Reservoir Dogs”, his first cinematic creation, Quentin Tarantino joins the ranks of filmmakers who should be watched closely despite an unflattering box office take of $2.9 million against an estimated budget of between $1.2 million and $3 million. “Reservoir Dogs” subsequently became a cult work and remains one of Quentin Tarantino’s best films in 2024.

Two years later, Quentin Tarantino achieved widespread recognition with his second feature film. Pulp Fiction, starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, but also Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken, was a hit in North America before spreading across the Old Continent and then to the rest of the world. This unprecedented fresco grossed $213.9 million in its theatrical release, covering more than 26 times an initial investment of $8-8.5 million. From a purely critical perspective, Pulp Fiction is a Hollywood legend, celebrated by the press (92% on RottenTomatoes) and the general public (96% on RottenTomatoes).

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A strange day for a legendary role

The 2024 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival took place from April 18 to 21, celebrating, among other things, the 30th anniversary of Pulp Fiction. This iconic 1994 Quentin Tarantino film delighted festival-goers who were able to (re)discover it during a funny and snappy opening session. Some actors and actresses even came to celebrate the event. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel (but also Phil LaMarr, Julia Sweeney and Rosanna Arquette) came together to the great delight of filmgoers. However, several personalities were conspicuous by their absence, including Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis.

John Travolta took the opportunity to look back on how he landed the role of Vincent Vega and talked about the strange day he had with Quentin Tarantino. Those few hours he spent in his company convinced the director to entrust him with the character, which only underlined the star status he had achieved with Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). It’s about board games, finance and bank accounts.

I spent a day with Quentin because I got a call from an agent who said, “There’s this young new director who did Reservoir Dogs and he really needs to meet you.” You’re his favorite actor and he wants to come along work together with you.

I said to myself, “Okay, I don’t know this guy, but I need to know how he’s doing financially.” So I went over his finances with him. So I told him, “Okay, you’re a promising artist. You have to save something. Tell me how much you have.” And I looked through all his accounts and felt a little better afterward. -John Travolta

As everyone knows, this story has a happy ending. Thanks to this unique day and his naturalness that seduced Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta finally got the role of Vincent Vega.

A week later he offered me the role of Vincent. And I said, “Why? What did you see in me that would convince you to give me this role?” And he said, “You’re the one who helped me with my finances. They had that analytical, theoretical and philosophical point of view that I need for this character. I want him to think about everything he’s been through.” And that was it. -John Travolta

Pulp Fiction is available on Netflix and Paramount+.

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