This article contains a discussion of sexual assault.
A new retrospective focused on Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece “Pulp Fiction.” Inside Variety, disgraced — and disgraced — producer Harvey Weinstein had a very clear idea for the film's cast, and he was ultimately rejected.
Journalist Todd Gilchrist spoke to several people connected to the Oscar-winning film and learned from executive producer Danny DeVito. that Danny DeVito), executive producer Michael Shamberg and producer Lawrence Bender, and Weinstein In fact Vincent wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to play Vega, and the role eventually went to John Travolta. DeVito landed an overall development deal at TriStar Pictures and received final cut on his projects there. As he recalls, he spoke with Weinstein, who insisted that Day-Lewis – “My Left Foot – Vincent won an Academy Award for the play”.
“I said, 'The director wants John Travolta,'” DeVito told Gilchrist. “I told this kid that I have the final cut and approval from the cast. I think he called me every name in the book, but of course, Quentin got what he wanted, and he was absolutely right, and the rest is history.” DeVito's recollection certainly confirms that Weinstein was particularly cruel during their dispute; In 2017, it was revealed that Weinstein sexually, verbally and emotionally abused everyone from powerful Hollywood actors to industry underdogs. (He currently has more trials pending for sexual assault.) Unfortunately, “Pulp Fiction” was produced during Weinstein's heyday … and he had the power and money to bully and abuse people.
Harvey Weinstein had trouble getting involved because the budget for Pulp Fiction was low
As Michael Schaumberg and Lawrence Bender reveal in the article, they worked very hard to keep the budget low … which meant that Harvey Weinstein's requests and supervision could often be ignored. Unfortunately, when it came time to find a backer for the movie, there was only one producer Bit: Weinstein. “Only Harvey [Weinstein] Auction it off,” Schamberg told the outlet. “Harvey thought he was in a bidding war, but he wasn't. To date, if I look [Hollywood film producer] He used to tell me that he wished Bob Shay had never turned down 'Pulp Fiction'. Quentin wanted to do it [producer, former TriStar chairman, and Orion co-founder] Mike Medavoy because Mike did all the great Orion movies, but ironically, when it came down to it, Mike thought it was too violent.”
Ultimately, Bender points out, he and Schamberg were able to cut the budget just enough to keep creative control in their own hands. “We wanted the budget to be between $6 and $8 million because that way we could have more control over the movie because it was a low budget,” Bender recalls. “When we made the movie, believe it or not, the budget of the movie was accidentally $8.5 million. When it was done, we returned $500,000, which is exactly $8 million.”
John Travolta is very thankful Harvey Weinstein didn't get his way
As far as John Travolta is concerned, he is In fact Harvey Weinstein was happy to be rejected when Vincent Vega and Daniel Day came to Lewis — because, as everyone knows, “Pulp Fiction” was a huge step forward for his career. (He didn't specifically say he was happy that Weinstein's idea was shot down, but I'm going to go ahead and assume.) “Ultimate victory. [I’d experienced] “There were 'Look Who's Talking' movies before 'Pulp Fiction,' so getting the 'Pulp' opportunity was definitely a next-level, over-the-top opportunity, 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Blow Out' integration,” Travolta told Variety.
Travolta revealed that Quentin Tarantino told him he loved the actor's performances from “Welcome Back Coater” to “Grease” and that he always hoped the two would collaborate. Additionally, Travolta said they had a great deal in common: “I think it helped that she's a huge Pauline Gale fan and I'm one of her favorite actors, so she raised the bar for me and gave me a second chance. High life, he always wanted me to be.” (For a while, Tarantino was rumored to be making his “final” film about Gale, but that whole thing seems to have died down completely now.)
“Pulp Fiction” is available to stream on Paramount+ and Amazon Prime.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Visit Rape, Abuse & Sexuality National Network website Or contact RAINN's national helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
