What Might Have Been: DDL Almost Played Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction

According to the oral history of Pulp Fiction in Vanity Fair.

Also, Matt Dillon almost played Butch.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/01/pulp-fiction-oral-history-quentin-tarantino

There have always been interesting stories out there, where you can try and imagine the original choice the producers had for some of Hollywood's most iconic roles. Anyone have another one?

 

The part about Dillon fucking himself out of a part is great.

 

If this thread doesn't bring BYH back to this site, nothing will. Well, unless Miami wins the national title in a couple months.

 

Well, it said Daniel Day-Lewis wanted the part, not that he was almost cast...

Tarantino has said in the past that he wanted Michael Madsen to play the Vincent Vega part, but he had cast him as "his brother" in Reservoir Dogs, so that didn't seem right...

I think I remember reading that Keitel was the one who gave the Pulp Fiction script to Willis shortly after he was done filming Reservoir Dogs.

 

It also says Day-Lewis was one of the guys Weinstein wanted instead of Travolta.

 

Hard to say "What Might Have Been" for a movie and an actor that were just about perfect. Don't see who Day-Lewis would have amped up the experience.

 

Would have been fascinating to see Day-Lewis because knowing how he gets into his characters, there's a decent chance he would have become a heroin addict and low-level hitman for the mob for six months, just so he could get the proper research and get into Vega's head.

 

I love the oral history format so I am excited to read it.

I know that there has been discussions about the idiocy of readers comments before but should VF be held responsible for something like this that was posted, the comment seems pretty offside to me:

zagoren
12:59 PM on 1/30/2013

Uma was doing Heroin while leaving in NYC in the late 90s. So...um...her comment about drugs is pretty hypocritical.

 

Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly.

 

An Officer and a Gentleman was written for John Travolta, but he turned it down.

Tom Selleck was the original choice for Raiders of the Lost Ark, but couldn't get out of his Magnum PI contract to film it.

 

That might be the most famous one because he was cast and they had begun shooting and then they fired him and the movie became a huge hit. I'd be curious if it had ever gotten that far with another film as big as Back to the Future...

There are countless other examples of roles that almost didn't go to the people who made the roles huge...

Tom Selleck couldn't do Raiders of the Lost Ark because of TV committments and the role went to Harrison Ford...

Die Hard was offered to Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Mel Gibson, Richard Gere and Harrison Ford before they cast Willis because he was the only person available... I think at least two of those agreed to do the movie before dropping out. I think Ford dropped out at the last minute.

Beverly Hills Cop was written for Stallone.

 

Regarding your question, Mizzou, Pacino almost was fired from The Godfather after they had begun shooting. Coppola kept Pacino after he nailed the Solozzo diner scene.