Quentin Tarantino’s original cast list for ‘Pulp Fiction’ resurfaces

3 July, 2023

Samuel L Jackson

Quentin Tarantino’s original cast list for Pulp Fiction has resurfaced online, with both John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson billed as second options.

In the 1994 film, Travolta and Jackson played Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield respectively, alongside supporting cast members Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer.

While many of Tarantino’s first picks ended up in the film (including Roth, Plummer, Keitel, Ving Rhames and Christopher Walken), some have different first options. For Vincent, Michael Madsen was Tarantino’s first choice, who he previously worked with on 1992’s Reservoir Dogs.

Travolta, meanwhile, is listed second to play the character, described as a “strong, strong, strong, second choice”. Other actors listed include Alec Baldwin, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton.

For Jules, Laurence Fishburne is listed ahead of Jackson as the top pick. Others mentioned include Eddie Murphy and Charles S. Dutton.

For the role of Butch, Bruce Willis isn’t listed at all, with the part originally written for Matt Dillon. Other actors in the running included Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp.

Interestingly, the role of Jody was originally earmarked for Patricia Arquette, the sister of Rosanna Arquette who played her in the film.

Tarantino has said he plans to release one final film, titled The Movie Critic, before he retires from filmmaking. The project entered pre-production in June, with the director looking to cast someone in his mid-thirties for the lead role.

“I haven’t decided yet but it’s going to be somebody in the 35-year-old ball park. It’ll definitely be a new leading man for me,” Tarantino said. “I do have an idea of somebody I can imagine doing it really well.”

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