Jennifer Aniston Nearly Landed Iconic Role in $214M Quentin Tarantino Movie With Samuel L. Jackson Before Backing Out Due to FRIENDS
If you can, imagine a young Jennifer Aniston dancing with John Travolta barefoot on a dance floor. That’s pretty much what Quentin Tarantino’s audience would have seen in the 1994 Pulp Fiction. Yes, before Uma Thurman, the Friends star was considered for the Mia Wallace role. It was also before Friends made her one of television’s biggest stars.
Given her success in both television and film, Jennifer Aniston is among the greatest actresses of all time.
Aniston has displayed her versatility throughout her career, whether it be in comedic films like Horrible Bosses or Just Go With It or more serious roles like her performance in Cake. Even though the 54-year-old has a long career and has worked on many projects, there have been times when she has turned down many iconic roles.
One such impressive role that she turned down was in the $214 million Quentin Tarantino film starring Samuel L. Jackson, for whatever reason—possibly due to commitments to other roles. Let’s learn more!
How Did Jennifer Aniston Begin?
To begin with, Jennifer Aniston is the daughter of renowned actors John Aniston and Nancy Dow. The Morning Show host graduated in 1987 from New York City’s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art, and Performing Arts.
According to Us Weekly, a LaGuardia teacher once referred to her as a “disgrace to theater” despite the fact that she is currently one of the most well-known actors in the industry.
Aniston quickly began landing roles after graduating from high school, in spite of her teacher’s criticism. And even though Friends was undoubtedly her claim to fame and the most popular TV program, she had roles in many other shows before landing the role of Rachel Green.
Her first television program, Molloy, which starred a young Mayim Bialik in 1990, only aired for seven episodes.
Before Friends premiered in 1994, she then made appearances in the Ferris Bueller series, The Edge, Herman’s Head, Burke’s Law, and Muddling Through. Even though she was given the chance to audition for Saturday Night Live, she chose to focus on Friends instead.
Quentin Tarantino Had Almost Cast Her in Pulp Fiction
Jennifer Aniston got an opportunity to get cast in Pulp Fiction around the same time as Friends. In 1994, both of the blockbusters were released, and Quentin Tarantino had a lot of famous actors in mind for the role of Mia Wallace. When she reportedly received significant consideration for the role, Aniston was only 25 years old.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was another candidate for the role, but she was already committed to Seinfeld at the time. Due to their demanding work schedules on the popular sitcoms, neither actor could dedicate themselves to the Tarantino masterpiece. At that point, Uma Thurman entered and thus, landed the part. She was 24 then, and it turned out to be one of her most celebrated roles.
Mia Wallace is among the most recognizable characters from the Tarantino film because of the dance scene and the ensuing graphic overdose.
The Break-Up actor had expressed interest in playing Mia Wallace even though she was still relatively new to her career. But in the end, it turned out to be a part that she couldn’t commit to doing because of her responsibilities at the time with Friends.
Source- Cheat Sheet
