Experiencing a Bizarre Audition Day for a Role in a Quentin Tarantino Classic

A cult first film, a legendary second film

In 1992, a film was released which made a big splash and propelled its director into Hollywood's spheres of influence. With Reservoir Dogs, which is his first cinematographic creation, Quentin Tarantino enters the ranks of filmmakers to watch closely despite an unflattering box office of 2.9 million US dollars for a budget estimated between 1.2 and 3 million. Reservoir Dogs subsequently became a cult work and still remains in 2024 one of the best films directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Two years later, Quentin Tarantino achieved recognition with his second feature film. Pulp Fiction with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, but also Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken, was a hit in North America before sweeping across the Old Continent, then to the rest of the world. This unique fresco pocketed 213.9 million US dollars during its theatrical run, which covered more than 26 times an initial investment of 8 to 8.5 million. From a purely critical point of view, Pulp Fiction is a Hollywood legend hailed by the press (92% on RottenTomatoes) and the general public (96% on RottenTomatoes).

A strange day for a legendary role

From April 18 to 21, the 2024 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival was held, which celebrated, among other things, the 30th anniversary of Pulp Fiction. This iconic film directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1994 delighted festival-goers who were able to (re)discover it during a funny and acidic opening session. Some actors and actresses even made the trip to celebrate the event. Thus John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel (but also Phil LaMarr, Julia Sweeney and Rosanna Arquette) came together for the greatest pleasure of moviegoers. However, several personalities were notable for their absence, including Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Walken and Bruce Willis.

John Travolta took the opportunity to look back on how he got the role of Vincent Vega and recounted the strange day he experienced with Quentin Tarantino. These few hours spent in his company convinced the director to entrust him with this character which only accentuated the star status he had acquired with Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). It's about board games, finances and bank accounts.

I spent a day with Quentin because I got a call from an agent who said, 'There's this young, new director who made Reservoir Dogs and he desperately needs to meet you. You are his favorite actor and he wants to work with you.

I said to myself, “Okay, I don’t know this guy, but I need to know how he’s doing financially.” So I went over his finances with him. So I told him: “Okay, you’re a promising artist. You need to have some savings. Tell me how much you have.” And I went through all his accounts, and I felt a little better after that. -John Travolta

This story, as everyone knows, has a happy ending. John Travolta finally obtained the role of Vincent Vega thanks to this unique day and his naturalness which seduced Quentin Tarantino.

A week later, he offered me the role of Vincent. And I said, “Why? What did you see in me that would convince you to give me this role?” And he said, “You're the one who helped me with my finances. You had this analytical, theoretical and philosophical point of view that I need for this character. I want him to think about everything he has been through.” And that was it. -John Travolta

Pulp Fiction is available on Netflix and Paramount+.

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