Quentin Tarantino Once Shared the Most Interesting Character He Ever Wrote Was in ‘Pulp Fiction’
Quentin Tarantino has created a roster of unique and memorable characters in his films. But earlier in his career, he confided that his most interesting character was perhaps his most overlooked.
Quentin Tarantino on the most interesting character he’s ever written
Tarantino’s most interesting character used to be one he didn’t know how he created in the first place. In an interview with Creative Screenwriting, the director confided that none of his characters were as unique as Mia Wallace. The character was the wife of a drug kingpin in Tarantino’s classic Pulp Fiction. What made her interesting was that her existence was a bit of a mystery for the movie maker
“Because I have no idea where she came from. I have no idea whatsoever. She’s not from another movie, she’s not somebody I know, she’s not a fantasy girl, she’s not really a part of me, she’s not a side of me,” Tarantino said. “I knew when I was writing that story, I knew nothing more about Mia than Vincent did. All I knew were the rumors. I didn’t know who she was at all, until they got to Jack Rabbit Slim’s and she opened her mouth.”
Over the course of writing the part, Tarantino shared that the character took on a life of its own.
“Then all of a sudden this character emerged with her own rhythm of speech. I don’t know where she came from and that’s why I love her,” he said.
Quentin Tarantino needed to convince Uma Thurman to star in ‘Pulp Fiction’
After having written the character, Tarantino needed to find an actor to bring the role to life. According to Vanity Fair, several famous actor at the time were in mind for the part. These included big names such as Meg Ryan and Holly Hunter.
But Uma Thurman was the only actor Tarantino was determined to cast. He’d even personally talked to the actor about the movie personally, which was a courtesy he didn’t extend for the other choices.
But Thurman had reservations about the movie.
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the movie,” she said.
There were many scenes that Thurman was uncomfortable with. Aside from that, Tarantino didn’t yet have the reliable pedigree of an experienced filmmaker to ease the actor’s worries. But after a lengthy conversation, Tarantino was finally able to get Thurman on board.
“No one could believe I even hesitated in any way. Neither can I, in hindsight,” Thurman said.
The character that Quentin Tarantino hated writing
Tarantino has written many despicable villains into his films. But he felt even some of his vilest characters were at least entertaining to write about. But when it came to his Django Unchained antagonist Calvin Candie, Tarantino found nothing fun about penning the role.
“He’s the first villain I’ve ever written that I didn’t like. I hated Candie, and I normally like my villains no matter how bad they are,” Tarantino once told Playboy (via Yahoo).
Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the villain in the feature, had an equally disgusted reaction to the character. DiCaprio even began to question if the film needed to be dialed back due to Calvin Candie’s brutality.
“It took me to places I didn’t even imagine…I can’t identify with his thought process or what his life was like. But once I got there and started playing him, it’s not that you understand what he’s thinking but you certainly see how that decadence and that need to prolong something like that is almost a religion to him,” DiCaprio once told Vibe.
