“I didn’t know if I would vibe with the person”: Johnny Depp, Who Became One of the Most Hated Actors in Hollywood After Amber Heard Scandal, Was Considered for Quentin Tarantino’s Iconic Movie
Pulp Fiction is one iconic 90s film that hasn’t lost its charm in over the last two decades. Quentin Tarantino has gone on to create several masterpieces like the Kill Bill films, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and his most recent Oscar-winner, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. However, Pulp Fiction has remained a project most reflective of the auteur’s oeuvre. And according to a recent revelation, Johnny Depp could’ve been a part of the timeless classic, but Tarantino had other plans.
The tale of an iconic casting
Recently, a cast wish list for the Tarantino directorial Pulp Fiction was somehow leaked and has been circulating across the internet ever since. And one of the most notable names on that wish list is Johnny Depp, who was apparently considered for the role of Pumpkin in the 1994 film.
The From Dusk Till Dawn director addressed the leaked list while being interviewed during the 2 Bears 1 Cave podcast. The 59-year-old did not write the role with the Pirates of the Caribbean actor in mind. In fact, his primary choice was Tim Roth, and Depp was a not-so-close second. And the remaining choices were Christian Slater, Gary Oldman, Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, and John Cusack.
Johnny Depp was never Quentin Tarantino’s first choice
Quentin Tarantino revealed during the interview,
“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.”
However, Tarantino did have a bit of a bicker with TriStar Pictures head Mike Medavoy about the casting part.
Medavoy insisted that they offer Pumpkin’s role to the Edward Scissorhands actor and move on to Slater only if Depp says no. But, Tarantino refused to bend the knee. He recalled asking Medavoy,
“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 won’t add a dime but it would make me feel better,’”
But in the end, the director got his way. He managed to get English actor Tim Roth, the actor he had in mind while writing Pumpkin, to do the role in the cinematic masterpiece.
