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Pulp Fiction Movie Links
Pulp Fiction Cast
- John Travolta as Vincent Vega: Tarantino cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction only because Michael Madsen, who had a major role—Vic Vega—in Reservoir Dogs, chose to appear in Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp instead. Madsen was still rueing his choice over a decade later.[40] Harvey Weinstein pushed for Daniel Day-Lewis in the part.[41] Travolta accepted a bargain rate for his services—sources claim either $100,000 or $140,000—but the film's success and his Oscar nomination as Best Actor revitalized his career.[42] Travolta was subsequently cast in several hits including Get Shorty, in which he played a similar character, and the John Woo blockbuster Face/Off. In 2004, Tarantino discussed an idea for a movie starring Travolta and Madsen as the Vega brothers; the concept remains unrealized.[43]
- Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield: Tarantino had written the part with Jackson in mind, but the actor nearly lost it after his first audition—Jackson assumed it was merely a reading—was overshadowed by Paul Calderon's. Harvey Weinstein convinced Jackson to audition a second time, and his performance of the final diner scene won over Tarantino.[44] Jules was originally scripted with a giant afro, but Tarantino and Jackson agreed on the Jheri-curled wig seen in the film.[45] (One reviewer took it as a "tacit comic statement about the ghettoization of blacks in movies".[46]) Jackson received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Calderon appears in the movie as Paul, Marsellus's right-hand man.
- Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace: Miramax favored Holly Hunter or Meg Ryan for the role. Alfre Woodard and Meg Tilly were also considered, but Tarantino wanted Thurman after their first meeting.[39][47] She dominated most of the film's promotional material, appearing on a bed with cigarette in hand. She was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and was launched into the celebrity A-list. She took little advantage of her newfound fame, choosing to not do any big-budget films for the next three years.[48] Thurman would later star in Tarantino's two Kill Bill movies.
Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis), before the fight of his life. Tarantino said, "Bruce has the look of a 50s actor. I can't think of any other star that has that look."[49]
- Bruce Willis as Butch Coolidge: Willis was a major star, but most of his recent films had been box-office disappointments. As described by Peter Bart, taking a role in the modestly budgeted film "meant lowering his salary and risking his star status, but the strategy...paid off royally: Pulp Fiction not only brought Willis new respect as an actor, but also earned him several million dollars as a result of his gross participation."[50] In conceiving the character, Tarantino said, "I basically wanted him to be like Ralph Meeker as Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly [1955]. I wanted him to be a bully and a jerk...."[51]
- Harvey Keitel as Winston Wolf or simply "The Wolf": The part was written specifically for Keitel, who had starred in Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and was instrumental in getting it produced. In the filmmaker's words, "Harvey had been my favorite actor since I was 16 years old."[52] Keitel had played a character similarly employed as a "cleaner" in Point of No Return, released a year earlier, but the two parts are otherwise very different.
- Tim Roth as "Pumpkin" or "Ringo": Roth had starred in Reservoir Dogs alongside Keitel and was brought on board again. He had used an American accent in the earlier film, but uses his natural, London one in Pulp Fiction. Though Tarantino had written the part specifically with Roth in mind, TriStar head Mike Medavoy preferred Johnny Depp or Christian Slater.[53]
- Amanda Plummer as Yolonda or "Honey Bunny": Tarantino wrote the role for Plummer, specifically to partner Roth onscreen. Roth had introduced the actress and director, telling Tarantino, "I want to work with Amanda in one of your films, but she has to have a really big gun."[54] Plummer followed up with director Michael Winterbottom's Butterfly Kiss, in which she plays a serial killer.
- Maria de Medeiros as Fabienne: Butch's girlfriend. Tarantino met the Portuguese actress while traveling with Reservoir Dogs around the European film festival circuit.[12] She had previously costarred with Thurman in Henry & June (1990), playing Anaïs Nin.
- Ving Rhames as Marsellus Wallace: Before Rhames was cast, the part was offered to Sid Haig, who had appeared in many classic exploitation movies of the 1970s. Haig passed on the role.[55] According to Bender, Rhames gave "one of the best auditions I've ever seen."[47] His acclaimed performance led to his being cast in big-budget features such as Mission Impossible, Con Air, and Out of Sight.[56]
- Eric Stoltz as Lance: Vincent's drug dealer. Courtney Love later reported that Kurt Cobain was originally offered the role of Lance; if he had taken it, Love would have played the role of his wife.[57]
- Rosanna Arquette as Jody: Lance's wife. Pam Grier read for the role, but Tarantino didn't believe audiences would find it plausible for Lance to yell at her.[58] Grier was later cast as the lead of Tarantino's Jackie Brown. Ellen DeGeneres also read for Jody.[59]
- Christopher Walken as Captain Koons: Walken appears in a single scene, devoted to the Vietnam veteran's monologue about the gold watch. In 1993, Walken had appeared in another small but pivotal role in the "Sicilian scene" in the Tarantino-written True Romance.