When it came to jotting down who he wanted for the characters, Tarantino opted for Michael Madsen, with whom he'd already worked on Reservoir Dogs in 1992, and Laurence Fishburne. He also wrote down Jackson for the role of Marcellus Wallace, a character who was ultimately played by his first choice – Ving Rhames.
The list reveals that Tarantino's original choice for Travolta's starring role as Vincent Vega was actually Michael Madsen. The list even states, “Wrote part for Michael”. Travolta is listed under Madsen as his second choice. Other potential backups include Alec Baldwin, Michael Keaton and Denzel Washington.
Tarantino also made Pulp Fiction like a puzzle. Tarantino wrote the movie out of order and meant for it to be that way in his structure and style. In an interview (via Film Comment), Tarantino said that the movie was about a "series of couples," where each story is about a couple and how they interact.
How did Quentin Tarantino get the idea for Pulp Fiction?
The initial inspiration was the three-part horror anthology film Black Sabbath (1963), by Italian filmmaker Mario Bava. The Tarantino–Avary project was provisionally titled "Black Mask", after the seminal hardboiled crime fiction magazine.
As I said, in general, the film is about American nihilism. More specifically, it is about the transformation of two characters: Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) and Butch (Bruce Willis).
Quentin Tarantino recently revealed that he rejected the demands of his producer to include Johnny Depp in his iconic 1994 film 'Pulp Fiction'. Quentin Tarantino is one of the world's most unique filmmakers with an almost flawless filmography—wholly without a bad entry.
As for Jules Winnfield, Tarantino wrote the character with Samuel L. Jackson in mind, but as Jackson assumed that the audition was merely a reading, he was overshadowed by Paul Calderón. Jackson was convinced to audition one more time and got the role.
When Tarantino finished the script for Pulp Fiction, he envisioned Laurence Fishburne playing Jules Winnfield. However, upon being offered the part, Fishburne turned it down because he had a problem with the way the film dealt with the use of heroin.
It turns out, we have an answer, and it's been known online for a while now. I was researching something completely unrelated when I stumbled on a strange fact that kind of blew my mind: Butch, the boxer played by Bruce Willis, is the character who keyed Vega's car.
Redemption is one of the central themes of this film and this scene along with Jules' saving of Honey Bunny and Pumpkin in the diner are the best examples of this. Butch's conscience made him go back to save Marsellus and this acted as his redemption for killing Wilson in the previous night's boxing match.
Vincent was under the false impression that Butch was a corrupt fighter as shown by his insults (“palooka,” “punchy”). Vincent may also have seen Butch receive part of his purse from Marcellus after Marcellus directed Butch to throw his next fight, which Butch agreed to do.
"'Pulp Fiction' wasn't for me," the 59-year-old "black-ish" star told Vulture in a new interview. "Quentin wrote that part with me in mind, too, but it wasn't for me. I just had a problem with the way the heroin use was dealt with. I just felt it was a little cavalier, and it was a little loose."
Apparently, The Gimp is a hitchiker who fell victim to Maynard and his brother. Plus, Tarantino intended for the poor guy to die by the end of the film: “It doesn't quite play this way in the movie, but in my mind when I wrote it, the Gimp's dead. Butch knocked him out and then when he passed out he hung himself.
And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee!” Not only the most iconic of the Jules Winnfield quotes in Pulp Fiction but one of the most iconic movie quotes of all time.
At the end of Pulp Fiction Jules states that he wants to be a lone drifter that walks the earth. Samuel Jackson plays a piano playing drifter in Kill Bill Vol 2 using the name Rufus and references being in a gang prior to playing the piano in the chapel.
How did Samuel L Jackson get the role in Pulp Fiction?
After a turn as the criminal Big Don in 1993's True Romance—written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott—Tarantino asked Jackson to play Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994).
He and wife Rhea Perlman founded the production company Jersey Films in 1992, which have produced such films as Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997), Erin Brockovich (2000), and Garden State (2004).
DeVito served as Executive Producer on the film. How did Tarantino get so many A-list actors in Pulp Fiction? Originally Answered: How did Tarantino get so many A-list actors in Pulp Fiction?
Willis played Butch Coolidge, a runaway boxer, in the film. Unlike other Pulp Fiction characters, Butch is not a big talker, but nonetheless his demeanor and few lines remain an iconic part of the film.
One reason I dig this movie is its non-linear narrative style. Rather than employ a traditional cause-and-effect plot, writer/director Quentin Tarantino sequences Pulp Fiction out of order, on purpose. If each scene is a card, it's safe to say Tarantino shuffled his deck. Or, more accurately, he stacked it.
What startled about Pulp on release was its audacious story dynamics. It was originally planned as a straight anthology flick — Tarantino's decision to cross-reference the yarns mines even more dramatic gold (i.e. the hero can get killed halfway through).
