Quentin Tarantino rejected Johnny Depp for Pulp Fiction
Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino rejected the idea of casting Johnny Depp in 'Pulp Fiction' and instead pushed for Tim Roth.
Quentin Tarantino rejected the idea of casting Johnny Depp in 'Pulp Fiction'.
The famed director was keen to cast Tim Roth as Pumpkin having worked with him in 'Reservoir Dogs' and while he had Christian Slater in mind as a backup, Orion Pictures co-founder and former TriStar Pictures chairman Mike Medavoy was keen on getting Depp involved.
Recalling their conversation on the '2 Bears, 1 Cave' podcast, Tarantino said: "'Do you think Johnny Depp playing the role of Pumpkin in this movie, which is the opening scene and the closing scene that’s it, do you think that will add that much to the box office? Him playing that role?’
“Mike said, ‘It wont add a dime but it would make me feel better.' "
In the end, Miramax took on the movie and Roth was cast in the role.
A potential cast list has floated around online a lot over the years, and Tarantino has admitted that's because he hadn't nailed down who he specifically wanted in each role.
He explained: "On the internet there’s a thing floating around about my wish list of the cast of ‘Pulp Fiction'.
“I didn’t know exactly who I wanted to play this part or that part, so I wrote a giant list with a ton of names.
"I wanted to get them all pre-approved and I didn’t know if it was gonna work out or if I would vibe with the person or if they would even do a good job. I just wanted to get them approved.”
Meanwhile, Taratino has reiterated his upcoming 10th movie - which is yet to be announced - will be his last one.
He previously said: "I’ve been doing it for a long time. I’ve been doing it for 30 years. And it’s time to wrap up the show. I’m an entertainer. I want to leave you wanting more."
