Quentin Tarantino Earned ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Star Diane Kruger’s Trust So Much She Let Him Strangle Her
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most highly recognized and sought-after directors today. The filmmaker has several high-grossing films under his notch, including Kill Bill, Django Unchained, and Pulp Fiction. In 2018 actor Uma Thurman came forward with allegations of an alleged cover-up on the set of Kill Bill, but Tarantino received support from others he’d worked with, like actor Diane Kruger. In fact, Kruger trusted Tarantino so much on the set of Inglourious Basterds that she let him strangle her.
Quentin Tarantino choked Diane Kruger in ‘Inglourious Basterds’
Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 film written and directed by Tarantino. Set in Germany in the 1940s amid an alternate history surrounding Nazi rule, the film became an acclaimed box office hit.
The film starred Hollywood heavyweights such as Kruger, Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, and Eli Roth. In one scene, Waltz’s character, SS officer Hans Landa, confronts Kruger’s Bridget von Hammersmark, a film star turned Allie spy.
He asks her for her foot and, revealing he knows her actual position, tells her, “What’s that American expression? If the shoe fits, you must wear it,” before lunging at her. A fight between the two ensues, with Landa having the upper hand. He strangles her, killing her.
Kruger delivered a very believable performance — in part because she was being choked. Tarantino personally strangled Kruger with his bare hands to make the scene more realistic. The shot of his hands makes it to the movie, and Kruger’s expressions are as authentic as they come.
Diane Kruger said Quentin Tarantino “was pure joy” to work with
Tarantino came under fire in 2018 when frequent collaborator Uma Thurman called him out for an “unforgivable” car crash and cover-up on the Kill Bill set. She also discussed how Tarantino “choked and spat on her” for a scene.
Kruger came in Tarantino’s defense after the Basterds choking incident came into play. The actor took to Instagram to clear the air. “I would like to say that my work experience with [Quentin] Tarantino was pure joy,” she wrote. “He treated me with utter respect and never abused his power and forced me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with.”
Quintin Tarantino wouldn’t audition Diane Kruger for ‘Inglourious Basterds’
While Kruger speaks positively about her experience with Tarantino, she revealed the director never wanted her for the part in Inglourious Basterds. Promoting her 2022 movie, The 355, Kruger explained (per IndieWire) that Tarantino “auditioned everyone” but “didn’t want to audition me because he saw a movie that I was in he didn’t like.”
The National Treasure actor felt Tarantino had no faith in her “from the get-go.” She said, “Literally, the only reason he auditioned me is because there was no one left to audition.” Although Kruger didn’t say which movie made the director overlook her, she noted that she had to foot every expense to audition.
She said she had to pay for her flight to Germany from New York because Tarantino wouldn’t. Kruger also shared that Tarantino refused to see her in the U.S., forcing her to take a flight to him. She said she wanted to prove that she could play the part and was grateful that everything worked out but called the situation “unfair.”
Kruger earned a Screen Actor’s Guild Award nod for her Inglourious Basterds role in the Best Supporting Actress category. The part also earned her critical acclaim. Undoubtedly, Tarantino doesn’t regret his decision now.
