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Quentin Tarantino's
first movie had opened

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{\an8}the world's eyes and
ears to a whole new style

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of moviemaking.

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{\an8}But there was as much mayhem
going on behind the scenes

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{\an8}as on the screen.

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You're fucking fired!

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Pointed right in his face.

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"Reservoir
Dogs" introduced the world

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to Mr. Tarantino.

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Who is this kid?

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But
where would he be now...

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What else do you have?
What else do you have?

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- If it hadn't been for--
- Everybody be cool,

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this is a robbery!

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This is the story
of the difficult second album

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that completely eclipsed
the breakthrough.

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Best picture of the year.
"Pulp Fiction."

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Tarantino and Roger
Avary for "Pulp Fiction."

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It was "Star
Wars" for independent cinema.

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I don't know if any of
us were really prepared

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for how huge it was.

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But nobody
on this unlikely classic

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- was prepared for--
- What was that?

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A seemingly
unworkable script.

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And that's what's
in the movie?

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A cast that
didn't seem to make any sense?

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My casting instincts
are going crazy.

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Oh, you're pushing it.

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Quentin was
fighting the studio.

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- I'm sorry.
- A director

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with his own language
and customs.

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What's going on here?

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He broke all the rules.

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He's not from film school.

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It's different
than what I thought.

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Why is that happening?

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Just do it for me, please?

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So I'm like, "What am I
supposed to do with this?"

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Blatant
and graphic drug use.

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God damn.

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Hyper-realistic violence.

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Whoa!

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Over-the-top
ODs.

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It was like the
ultimate pierce.

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Sexual perversion,
rape, and even a gimp.

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It was so out there.

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I'm not sure that
movie is going to show.

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And the audience
running for the exits.

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My mom said, "We need to go."

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While his
"Reservoir Dogs" debut

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gathered notoriety
and popularity,

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Quentin Tarantino was
determined to prove

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he could do it again,
but better.

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You got an idea, spit it out.

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{\an8}After "Reservoir Dogs,"
there's that possibility

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of, you know, the sophomore
curse, which happens a lot

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with filmmakers trying
to overcome their success

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of their first film
that got all the hype.

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{\an8}I remember him
seething.

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That's all I'm
thinking about now.

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I mean, this guy
wants to make movies

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for the sake of he loves movies.

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{\an8}He was willing to
do whatever it took.

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He wouldn't go
as far as taking up an offer

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to direct "Speed."

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- Are you sure?
- Yes.

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Or "Men in Black."

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I make this look good.

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Even though
men in black were his thing.

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Is that supposed to be funny?

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But Quentin
turned those projects down

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because he wanted to
tell his own stories.

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And the door of
opportunity was opened

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during a chance meeting
with producer Stacey Sher

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who introduced Quentin
to her business partner,

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Danny DeVito.

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- Let me look at you!
- And DeVito

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was only too happy to climb
aboard the Tarantino taxi.

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Danny DeVito's company
Jersey Films made

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{\an8}a $900,000 development
deal with him.

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- I got the money.
- Giving him final cut

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and basically make
what he wanted.

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Since Quentin
wanted his next film

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to really push the envelope,
that suited him fine.

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That kind of deal is
very, very rare for someone

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who's literally only
ever made one movie.

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Yeah, and that was
a fucking miracle.

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This unicorn
development deal even came

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with a potential studio.

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TriStar had first refusal

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to pick up the movie.

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All Tarantino
needed now was a script.

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No problem.

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Four years earlier in
Tarantino's formative years

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at Video Archives, he'd
been writing up a storm.

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{\an8}He said, "Well, I've got
scripts, you know, in my head.

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{\an8}I'm gonna write them."

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But he wasn't alone.

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Two Video Archive colleagues,
Adam Rifkin and Roger Avary.

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{\an8}They would spend
time during work

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{\an8}talking about movies together,
rehashing movies together,

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giving each other suggestions

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for movies they
should check out.

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And then it wasn't very long
before they just realized,

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"We should just be
partners in writing."

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And Tarantino
knew exactly where to start.

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His decision was,
he thought, you know,

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we'll have three guys write
three different stories

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and they'll direct
their own stories.

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And Tarantino really
liked the idea of playing

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with an anthology type of
story since he's a big fan

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of the pulp comics.

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At one point, Tarantino
had a short film

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and Avary had a short film,

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but that kind of never
really materialized.

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Four years later,
could those ideas be revived?

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I came across that
idea again and go,

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"Well, god, that was
kind of a good idea."

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Then I actually found
pages from the material

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and was like, "This is a
really good idea, man."

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Like, "This is what I should
do for my second film."

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The writer
Tarantino had his idea,

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he had his development money,

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and he was away to the
other side of the world.

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I've been in
America all my life.

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I always want to see what TV
in other countries looks like.

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And that
country was Holland.

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And then he kind of vanished
for the best part of a year.

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So I think there were a
bit of nerves about that.

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Like, "Oh no,
what have we done?"

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Quentin
hadn't vanished.

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He was spending the
great year writing up a storm

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in an Amsterdam hotel.

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He wanted to do what
Elmore Leonard does,

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taking cliche crime stories,

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but rooted in a kind of
reality or hyper-reality.

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Soon, Roger
Avary would join Quentin

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to adapt his famous
contribution.

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Which was called
"Pandemonium Reigns."

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And that ended up
being the watch section

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with Butch, the boxer.

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- This watch--
- And sort of folded

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that in with his
own other ideas.

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Tarantino would finally
emerge from the canals

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with the three distinct
stories woven together

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in a non-linear narrative.

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We were laughing
so hard and Quentin

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{\an8}was getting great joy
out of watching us

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{\an8}reading the script and laughing.

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Some found the
script funny, as in farcical.

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{\an8}Nobody was gonna
see it.

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It was so out there, I thought,

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"Oh my god, who's ever
gonna watch this?"

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Well,
people into heroin abuse,

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a leather-clad gimp and a
rape scene, all zero of them.

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We read the script
and we had no clue,

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like how it was gonna
come together. You know?

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If Hollywood
and TriStar Pictures

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had their way, it wouldn't.

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They weren't too
keen on the drug usage.

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There was one scene in
particular which was showing

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the character Vincent
Vega shooting up heroin.

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And it's described
in some detail.

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The studio didn't really
want to include this.

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They thought it was
glamorizing drugs.

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And of course,
that confusing script.

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There were kind of
emergency meetings held

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and Tarantino went in and
tried to reassure them.

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But they couldn't be reassured,

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so they didn't end
up backing the film.

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It
seemed "Pulp Fiction"

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was too lurid for Hollywood.

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We got a major situation here.

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Tarantino went
back to Miramax.

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Where he knew

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he might get a more
sympathetic ear.

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Because they'd
not cut his films.

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As in allowing
this particular cut

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in Quentin's first film.

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Hey, what's going on?

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{\an8}Quentin is a loyal cat

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{\an8}and Harvey Weinstein
believed in him

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from the very beginning.

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Miramax
could be perfect partners.

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- However...
- Miramax had been bought

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by Buena Vista, which
was part of Disney.

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So how could
family-friendly Disney,

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famous for movies like this...

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<i>♪ Circle of life ♪</i>

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...deal with unsavory
things like this.

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Even though it is
an independent movie,

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if you follow the chain up,
it's a Disney movie as well.

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But Miramax boss
Weinstein wasn't concerned

194
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- because--
- He knew

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that Quentin
Tarantino was gifted

196
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because of "Reservoir Dogs"

197
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and wanted to work with
him and his scripts.

198
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Harvey
also had a plan.

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Knowing "Reservoir Dogs"
was a European hit,

200
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he quickly presold
foreign distribution rights

201
00:08:01,773 --> 00:08:04,192
for "Pulp Fiction"
for $11 million.

202
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Making 4 million profit
even before casting.

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00:08:07,695 --> 00:08:09,405
As one of the Weinstein
brothers put it,

204
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"We're now in the Quentin
Tarantino business."

205
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But how to
credit who for the writing?

206
00:08:18,373 --> 00:08:20,125
Roger Avary thought
he and Quentin

207
00:08:20,250 --> 00:08:21,793
should be listed as co-writers.

208
00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,546
Avary did say that he
worked on the whole film,

209
00:08:24,546 --> 00:08:26,548
so they kind of
did collaborate

210
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on how to weave the stories
together and everything.

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It was a firm
Taranti-"no."

212
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Quentin threatened to drop
Roger's boxer storyline
altogether.

213
00:08:35,932 --> 00:08:39,435
So Tarantino paid
Avary for his script.

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The
princely sum of $25,000.

215
00:08:42,730 --> 00:08:45,692
And Tarantino's
credit would say...

216
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...just like his first film.

217
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{\an8}Quentin, he makes it his project
and his voice gets on the page.

218
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And that voice
would find a sympathetic ear

219
00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:58,830
and a "Reservoir" returnee,
producer Lawrence Bender.

220
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Lawrence really left
the creativity to Quentin.

221
00:09:02,125 --> 00:09:03,918
And despite
critical differences

222
00:09:04,043 --> 00:09:07,505
on their debut, Tarantino's
DP was also back.

223
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You stick to director.

224
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{\an8}You're like playing in casino

225
00:09:11,384 --> 00:09:13,511
{\an8}when you have lucky
time, you know,

226
00:09:13,678 --> 00:09:16,639
{\an8}you should just toss
your bet on everything.

227
00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:19,684
And new casting
director, Gary Zuckerbrod,

228
00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:22,687
could now work with Quentin
to find their ensemble cast.

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When you have a director
that has a vision, it's magic.

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And Tarantino
had a whole pack of dogs

231
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to whistle up,
including Harvey Keitel.

232
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- He begged me to do it.
- Tarantino felt a great deal

233
00:09:35,241 --> 00:09:37,202
of respect, but
also that, you know,

234
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he may owe Harvey Keitel.

235
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Because Harvey Keitel
obviously is the main reason

236
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he got his first movie put out.

237
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I'm here to help

238
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If my help's not appreciated,
lots of luck, gentlemen.

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For the
lead role of Vincent,

240
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Tarantino only had
eyes for one man.

241
00:09:52,258 --> 00:09:54,219
Yet another dog.
Mr. Blonde.

242
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{\an8}Well, he wrote
it thinking of me.

243
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{\an8}I wouldn't say he
wrote it for me,

244
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{\an8}but I was at the
top of his list.

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Except
Blonde had gone west.

246
00:10:01,434 --> 00:10:03,978
Larry Kasdan was
gonna make "Wyatt Earp."

247
00:10:04,103 --> 00:10:06,231
And walking down the
street to the O.K. Corral

248
00:10:06,397 --> 00:10:08,024
is like a boy's dream.
You know?

249
00:10:08,149 --> 00:10:10,068
I thought, "Yeah, man,
goddammit...

250
00:10:11,694 --> 00:10:15,240
...I'm gonna walk down the
street to the O.K. Corral."

251
00:10:15,406 --> 00:10:17,033
And even Dennis
Quaid said to me,

252
00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:20,120
"This is why we're doing the
film," and I go, "I know."

253
00:10:20,495 --> 00:10:22,121
I want your guns.

254
00:10:22,121 --> 00:10:24,707
But Quentin
wanted Michael's guns.

255
00:10:24,833 --> 00:10:27,377
"I wanted you to
do 'Pulp Fiction.'"

256
00:10:27,502 --> 00:10:29,254
Man, could you
believe Mr. Blonde?

257
00:10:29,379 --> 00:10:31,798
And I said, "Man, it's
just another gangster movie.

258
00:10:31,923 --> 00:10:33,675
It's the same as
'Reservoir Dogs.'"

259
00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:35,677
And he goes, "Okay,
okay, okay, I get it."

260
00:10:35,677 --> 00:10:38,888
While Madsen
went off to be a gunslinger,

261
00:10:39,013 --> 00:10:42,600
strangely, Quentin's next
choice was more of a singer.

262
00:10:42,725 --> 00:10:45,270
<i>♪ I wonder why? ♪</i>

263
00:10:45,395 --> 00:10:48,857
He was a fan of
John Travolta's, you
know, growing up.

264
00:10:48,982 --> 00:10:51,693
Quentin loved him
as Billy Nolan in "Carrie."

265
00:10:51,818 --> 00:10:53,778
Get her done,
man, get her done.

266
00:10:53,945 --> 00:10:55,613
And Jack Terry

267
00:10:55,780 --> 00:10:58,074
in Tarantino's all-time
favorite "Blow Out."

268
00:10:58,199 --> 00:11:01,995
And Tarantino knew just how
to get Travolta on board.

269
00:11:02,203 --> 00:11:03,621
I collect board games

270
00:11:03,746 --> 00:11:05,331
that have to do with
TV shows and movies.

271
00:11:05,582 --> 00:11:07,792
I said, "John, I have the
'Welcome Back, Kotter'
board game.

272
00:11:07,917 --> 00:11:09,502
Would you like to
come down to my house

273
00:11:09,627 --> 00:11:10,753
and we'll play the game?"

274
00:11:10,753 --> 00:11:12,630
And he said yes and he won.

275
00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:15,425
So as the night gets going,

276
00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:17,469
Tarantino hands him
"Pulp Fiction."

277
00:11:17,594 --> 00:11:19,095
Travolta's thinking in his mind,

278
00:11:19,220 --> 00:11:21,139
"This guy wants me
to play this role?"

279
00:11:21,264 --> 00:11:24,642
And Travolta realized, "Wow,
you know, this is great.

280
00:11:24,767 --> 00:11:26,144
I need this."

281
00:11:26,311 --> 00:11:27,645
And why
would he need this?

282
00:11:27,770 --> 00:11:29,481
His career was,
for some reason,

283
00:11:29,606 --> 00:11:31,274
it just looked bleak. You know?

284
00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:33,485
I got an emergency!

285
00:11:33,610 --> 00:11:35,236
He was still doing
movies, you know.

286
00:11:35,361 --> 00:11:40,909
{\an8}But he wasn't starring in
the big, amazing drama stuff

287
00:11:41,034 --> 00:11:43,536
{\an8}like he had been back
in the earlier days.

288
00:11:43,536 --> 00:11:45,663
I mean, you know how it
is, rocking and rolling.

289
00:11:45,830 --> 00:11:48,208
At that point, he started
doing the baby-talk movies

290
00:11:48,333 --> 00:11:50,460
and other things that I thought,
you know, weren't great.

291
00:11:50,585 --> 00:11:51,836
You know that's breast milk?

292
00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:55,173
While Tarantino
s tempting Travolta,

293
00:11:55,298 --> 00:11:57,592
another actor started
showing interest.

294
00:11:57,717 --> 00:11:59,928
I said, "Quentin,
Daniel Day-Lewis

295
00:12:00,053 --> 00:12:01,387
had gotten a copy of the script.

296
00:12:01,387 --> 00:12:03,681
You should probably
meet with him."

297
00:12:03,807 --> 00:12:05,433
He said, "Hmm...

298
00:12:06,351 --> 00:12:07,435
...I don't think so."

299
00:12:07,435 --> 00:12:08,520
No, to Lewis.

300
00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,063
Yes, to Travolta.

301
00:12:10,188 --> 00:12:12,857
{\an8}What in the name of
the father is going on?

302
00:12:12,982 --> 00:12:15,735
John Travolta.
"Welcome Back, Kotter."

303
00:12:15,735 --> 00:12:17,695
This thing is a stupid idea.

304
00:12:17,821 --> 00:12:20,448
Daniel Day-Lewis, Oscar winner
from "My Left Foot."

305
00:12:21,616 --> 00:12:23,243
I am not alright.

306
00:12:23,368 --> 00:12:26,955
My casting instincts are
going crazy and I may explode.

307
00:12:32,293 --> 00:12:35,505
Tarantino ct
yesterday's man, John Travolta,

308
00:12:35,630 --> 00:12:38,383
instead of Oscar winner
Daniel Day-Lewis...

309
00:12:38,508 --> 00:12:39,968
What a gyp.

310
00:12:40,093 --> 00:12:42,178
...for Pulp Fiction's
lead role of Vincent.

311
00:12:42,303 --> 00:12:45,682
{\an8}Quentin wanted somebody
rougher around the edges.

312
00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:47,350
But was
the Travolta idea

313
00:12:47,517 --> 00:12:49,227
about to go down the toilet?

314
00:12:49,394 --> 00:12:51,938
Without Tarantino
knowing, Harvey Keitel

315
00:12:52,063 --> 00:12:54,232
had passed along the
script of "Pulp Fiction"

316
00:12:54,399 --> 00:12:56,234
to Bruce Willis.

317
00:12:56,234 --> 00:12:59,154
{\an8}Bruce loved it and he really
wanted to play Vincent Vega.

318
00:12:59,279 --> 00:13:00,697
{\an8}John Travolta's part.

319
00:13:00,864 --> 00:13:02,448
{\an8}Willis was
at least as desirable

320
00:13:02,448 --> 00:13:03,950
{\an8}as Daniel Day-Lewis.

321
00:13:03,950 --> 00:13:06,035
Been doing this for 11 years.

322
00:13:06,369 --> 00:13:08,163
That's not how Quentin saw it.

323
00:13:08,288 --> 00:13:09,539
Oh well, well.

324
00:13:09,664 --> 00:13:11,040
It's freaky,
but it happens.

325
00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:12,667
So then Bruce was like, "Okay,

326
00:13:12,792 --> 00:13:15,128
what about the
character of Jules?

327
00:13:15,253 --> 00:13:16,796
You know, I know he's supposed
to be a black character,

328
00:13:16,921 --> 00:13:18,798
but what if he's a white
hippie-type of guy?"

329
00:13:18,798 --> 00:13:20,633
What Bruce was
talking about was something

330
00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:23,636
like Gary Oldman's
character in "True Romance,"

331
00:13:23,761 --> 00:13:25,722
a Tarantino tale that
had impressed him.

332
00:13:25,889 --> 00:13:27,640
I know I'm pretty.

333
00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,142
Obviously, Tarantino
wasn't really sold on it.

334
00:13:29,142 --> 00:13:31,352
Didn't really want to
change that character.

335
00:13:31,477 --> 00:13:35,106
Yet again,
the casting agent
was lost for words.

336
00:13:35,231 --> 00:13:37,775
Would Bruce be interested
in another character?

337
00:13:37,942 --> 00:13:40,028
Say, Butch?
No, not that one.

338
00:13:40,153 --> 00:13:41,571
The older one.

339
00:13:41,696 --> 00:13:43,573
Bruce calls Tarantino
in the morning

340
00:13:43,740 --> 00:13:46,201
and tells Tarantino
that he is in.

341
00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:48,912
It was a really
well-written piece of film.

342
00:13:49,078 --> 00:13:50,413
I just, I want to be in it.

343
00:13:50,538 --> 00:13:51,664
I wanted to be a
part of the story.

344
00:13:51,831 --> 00:13:53,583
You looking
at something, friend?

345
00:13:53,708 --> 00:13:55,502
You ain't my friend, palooka.

346
00:13:55,502 --> 00:13:56,794
Willis wins Butch.

347
00:13:56,794 --> 00:13:58,421
Travolta takes Vincent.

348
00:13:58,546 --> 00:14:00,798
Now, who plays Jules?

349
00:14:00,965 --> 00:14:03,927
That story begins when
Jackson bumps into Tarantino

350
00:14:04,093 --> 00:14:06,763
at the 1992 Sundance
Film Festival,

351
00:14:06,763 --> 00:14:07,931
where Quentin said,

352
00:14:07,931 --> 00:14:09,974
"Hey, how do you like the guy

353
00:14:10,141 --> 00:14:11,976
who plays
your part, Holdaway?"

354
00:14:12,101 --> 00:14:13,603
This better not be some
kind of friggin' joke, man.

355
00:14:13,728 --> 00:14:15,647
Because Jackson had
auditioned for that role

356
00:14:15,772 --> 00:14:17,440
in "Reservoir Dogs,"
but didn't get it.

357
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,567
Tarantino says, "Don't worry,
we're gonna work together.

358
00:14:19,692 --> 00:14:22,403
I'm writing something new, and
I have a part for you in mind.

359
00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:23,905
Obviously in Hollywood,
that's probably said

360
00:14:24,030 --> 00:14:26,032
a thousand times a day.

361
00:14:26,157 --> 00:14:28,493
Well, lo and behold, a script
shows up to Samuel L. Jackson,

362
00:14:28,493 --> 00:14:30,161
it's "Pulp Fiction."

363
00:14:30,328 --> 00:14:32,705
He saw the character of
Jules, he loved the script.

364
00:14:32,831 --> 00:14:34,374
But
according to some,

365
00:14:34,541 --> 00:14:36,459
the part of Jules was
essentially a hand-me-down.

366
00:14:36,584 --> 00:14:37,919
It was originally
supposed to be

367
00:14:37,919 --> 00:14:39,838
me and Lawrence Fishburne.

368
00:14:39,963 --> 00:14:41,923
But he rejected
the glam take on heroin.

369
00:14:42,048 --> 00:14:44,134
And so along came Sam.

370
00:14:44,259 --> 00:14:45,760
Who was now walking

371
00:14:45,885 --> 00:14:47,971
into a classic
Hollywood runaround.

372
00:14:48,096 --> 00:14:49,973
{\an8}What he didn't realize was
that he was still expected

373
00:14:50,098 --> 00:14:51,516
{\an8}to audition for it.

374
00:14:51,641 --> 00:14:53,351
And he's kind of
confused by this

375
00:14:53,518 --> 00:14:56,312
because he's been
told this is his role.

376
00:14:56,312 --> 00:14:59,023
And he wasn't prepared for
it and by his own admission,

377
00:14:59,149 --> 00:15:01,234
he didn't do very well.

378
00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:04,904
But Tarantino decided to give
Samuel L. Jackson
another chance.

379
00:15:05,029 --> 00:15:06,364
Hey kids.
He has to come back in

380
00:15:06,489 --> 00:15:07,532
and read for it again.

381
00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:09,075
How you boys doing?

382
00:15:09,242 --> 00:15:10,743
For a part that is
supposed to be his.

383
00:15:10,869 --> 00:15:12,162
I just want you to know--

384
00:15:12,328 --> 00:15:14,289
So this infuriates
Samuel L. Jackson.

385
00:15:14,414 --> 00:15:17,584
So he actually uses
the anger from that

386
00:15:17,584 --> 00:15:20,503
to deliver the
Ezekiel 25:17 speech.

387
00:15:20,628 --> 00:15:24,799
And I will strike down
upon thee with great vengeance

388
00:15:24,799 --> 00:15:28,470
- and furious anger--
- And blew everyone away.

389
00:15:29,471 --> 00:15:31,848
Tarantino, Bender, and the
rest turned to each other

390
00:15:32,015 --> 00:15:33,808
and were like, "That is
definitely our Jules."

391
00:15:33,933 --> 00:15:35,518
This was divine intervention.

392
00:15:35,643 --> 00:15:39,564
That was really Quentin's
thing of taking two actors

393
00:15:39,689 --> 00:15:42,525
that you never would think
would be in this movie

394
00:15:42,650 --> 00:15:44,194
in a million years.

395
00:15:46,029 --> 00:15:49,449
And saying this is gonna
change their careers,

396
00:15:49,449 --> 00:15:51,034
but this is really gonna work.

397
00:15:51,159 --> 00:15:53,244
We should have
fucking shotguns.

398
00:15:53,411 --> 00:15:55,038
But Quentin
was keen to explore

399
00:15:55,205 --> 00:15:57,707
the entire spectrum
of acting talent.

400
00:15:57,874 --> 00:15:59,459
Quentin simply
went back to school

401
00:15:59,459 --> 00:16:00,793
at the Groundlings Theater.

402
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:02,587
We did an improv
show together,

403
00:16:02,712 --> 00:16:07,926
{\an8}and it was pretty amazing
to see the film director

404
00:16:08,051 --> 00:16:10,386
{\an8}who had done that
movie, "Reservoir Dogs,"

405
00:16:10,553 --> 00:16:12,430
{\an8}be funny on stage.

406
00:16:12,555 --> 00:16:14,140
I know how good it is.

407
00:16:14,265 --> 00:16:16,518
Another casting
would be equally magnetic

408
00:16:16,643 --> 00:16:19,979
and not because of her
on-screen metallic features.

409
00:16:19,979 --> 00:16:21,773
The one with all
the shit in her face?

410
00:16:21,898 --> 00:16:24,359
No, that's Jody.

411
00:16:24,484 --> 00:16:26,110
That's my wife.

412
00:16:26,236 --> 00:16:30,031
{\an8}I got the phone call to
meet Quentin in Swingers.

413
00:16:30,156 --> 00:16:32,242
We had a milkshake and hung out

414
00:16:32,367 --> 00:16:33,743
and then the next thing I knew

415
00:16:33,868 --> 00:16:35,245
like he wanted me
to do the movie.

416
00:16:35,245 --> 00:16:37,080
All my piercing,
18 places on my body.

417
00:16:37,247 --> 00:16:39,165
Every one of 'em
done with a needle.

418
00:16:39,290 --> 00:16:40,917
But there
was one critical piece

419
00:16:41,042 --> 00:16:43,086
of the "Pulp Fiction"
puzzle missing.

420
00:16:43,086 --> 00:16:44,712
- Mia.
- Mia Wallace.

421
00:16:44,838 --> 00:16:47,507
It needed somebody
who had that chemistry.

422
00:16:47,632 --> 00:16:49,008
Vincent.

423
00:16:49,008 --> 00:16:51,052
We were going
all over the place.

424
00:16:51,177 --> 00:16:55,306
Gwyneth Paltrow to everybody
else who was hot at that time.

425
00:16:55,431 --> 00:16:58,476
An agent called me up about
a young female comedian.

426
00:16:58,601 --> 00:17:01,437
Ellen DeGeneres. Quentin, he
didn't even know who she was.

427
00:17:01,604 --> 00:17:02,981
I said, "She's a comedian."

428
00:17:03,106 --> 00:17:04,691
He said, "Oh, that
sounds interesting.

429
00:17:04,691 --> 00:17:07,360
Why don't you read her, and
if you think she's right--"

430
00:17:07,485 --> 00:17:09,612
So Ellen DeGeneres came
and read for me on that role.

431
00:17:09,737 --> 00:17:13,116
Could Julia
Louis-Dreyfus break the drought?

432
00:17:13,241 --> 00:17:14,868
There was no way
to do it because--

433
00:17:15,034 --> 00:17:15,910
No, thank you.

434
00:17:16,035 --> 00:17:17,120
Not right now.

435
00:17:17,245 --> 00:17:18,788
She was doing "Seinfeld."

436
00:17:18,955 --> 00:17:21,124
I'm a day person.

437
00:17:21,291 --> 00:17:24,252
We just kept going back and
forth and back and forth.

438
00:17:24,377 --> 00:17:26,379
It was a
complete casting dead end.

439
00:17:26,379 --> 00:17:29,966
And sometimes somebody
comes out of the blue.

440
00:17:29,966 --> 00:17:31,801
Or
out of their shell.

441
00:17:31,926 --> 00:17:33,761
Hello.

442
00:17:33,761 --> 00:17:35,471
Uma Thurman, she had been
in the Terry Gilliam film,

443
00:17:35,597 --> 00:17:37,140
"The Adventures of
Baron Munchausen"

444
00:17:37,307 --> 00:17:39,350
as the Love Goddess, Venus.

445
00:17:39,476 --> 00:17:41,311
She was
a goddess, all right.

446
00:17:41,478 --> 00:17:43,897
Had Tarantino finally
found his muse?

447
00:17:43,897 --> 00:17:45,648
I am overwhelmed.

448
00:17:45,773 --> 00:17:48,485
It was going to be magic.

449
00:17:48,485 --> 00:17:51,404
Except
for one tiny problem.

450
00:17:51,529 --> 00:17:53,156
Another diamond.

451
00:17:53,281 --> 00:17:55,325
Uma had
already discarded the idea.

452
00:17:55,325 --> 00:17:57,202
She's turning it down
like two or three times.

453
00:17:57,368 --> 00:17:58,828
Tarantino finally calls
her home and says, "Please,

454
00:17:58,953 --> 00:18:00,497
let me read this to you.

455
00:18:00,622 --> 00:18:02,832
And if you still don't
want to do it, then fine."

456
00:18:02,832 --> 00:18:04,209
He reads it, and of course,

457
00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:05,668
if you've ever
had an opportunity

458
00:18:05,794 --> 00:18:07,212
to see Tarantino
reading a script--

459
00:18:07,378 --> 00:18:08,922
He'll do it in a voice,
he'll act it out.

460
00:18:08,922 --> 00:18:11,132
So I can only imagine
the theater that it was

461
00:18:11,257 --> 00:18:12,884
on the phone with going
through all the parts.

462
00:18:13,009 --> 00:18:14,260
By the time he was done,

463
00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:17,555
Uma Thurman was
cast as Mia Wallace.

464
00:18:17,555 --> 00:18:19,432
But before
he could even press play,

465
00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:22,685
Tarantino found he had a
major issue on his hands.

466
00:18:22,810 --> 00:18:24,687
Quentin was
fighting the studio.

467
00:18:30,944 --> 00:18:33,279
his diverse ensemble
cast of actors, r

468
00:18:33,279 --> 00:18:36,616
but the studio were
asking questions such as,

469
00:18:36,741 --> 00:18:39,244
"What had their leading
man been eating?"

470
00:18:39,410 --> 00:18:42,205
{\an8}The studio was trying to
say he needed to lose weight

471
00:18:42,205 --> 00:18:44,499
and he could drop at least
10 pounds and tighten it up.

472
00:18:44,624 --> 00:18:46,626
They were on it and they
didn't like the ponytail

473
00:18:46,626 --> 00:18:47,877
and he was jowly.

474
00:18:47,877 --> 00:18:49,337
Don't be rude.

475
00:18:49,462 --> 00:18:50,964
And Quentin was
fighting the studio.

476
00:18:51,089 --> 00:18:54,467
"I want this guy to
look a little has-been."

477
00:18:54,634 --> 00:18:56,511
All Quentin
Tarantino's team could do

478
00:18:56,636 --> 00:18:58,972
was try to make
everyone look the part.

479
00:18:58,972 --> 00:19:01,224
What do they look like, Jimmie?

480
00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:03,143
Dorks.

481
00:19:03,143 --> 00:19:06,729
{\an8}Quentin is always present
at the first costume fitting

482
00:19:06,855 --> 00:19:10,567
because for Tarantino
costume is the character.

483
00:19:10,733 --> 00:19:13,236
We were fitting Marsellus
with the suit on,

484
00:19:13,361 --> 00:19:15,822
and he had come in with a
Band-Aid behind his neck.

485
00:19:15,989 --> 00:19:17,991
Cut himself shaving
because he's bald.

486
00:19:18,116 --> 00:19:20,160
He said to Quentin,
"Don't worry about it.

487
00:19:20,326 --> 00:19:22,078
It'll be fine,
but when we go to camera.

488
00:19:22,078 --> 00:19:23,830
and Quentin was looking at it,

489
00:19:23,830 --> 00:19:27,250
going, "You know,
I kinda like this.

490
00:19:27,375 --> 00:19:29,085
I think we need to keep this."

491
00:19:29,085 --> 00:19:32,046
Night of the fight, you
may feel a slight sting.

492
00:19:32,172 --> 00:19:33,715
And it really worked.

493
00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,258
It was like another little
character statement.

494
00:19:35,383 --> 00:19:36,718
We don't want to think.

495
00:19:36,843 --> 00:19:37,760
We want to know.

496
00:19:38,428 --> 00:19:40,513
Miramax
was far from cool

497
00:19:40,638 --> 00:19:43,349
about Travolta's
unfashionable greasy hair.

498
00:19:43,349 --> 00:19:46,769
Luckily, they didn't find out
about Samuel L. Jackson's.

499
00:19:46,895 --> 00:19:48,354
- Take care of her?
- No.

500
00:19:48,354 --> 00:19:50,231
I mean, who would send
a PA out to get a wig?

501
00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:51,941
I mean, oh my god.

502
00:19:52,066 --> 00:19:53,067
What?

503
00:19:53,693 --> 00:19:56,029
Tarantino
had ordered an afro.

504
00:19:56,029 --> 00:19:58,031
What he got was a Jheri curl.

505
00:19:58,031 --> 00:19:59,449
Say "what" again!

506
00:19:59,616 --> 00:20:01,034
Say "what" again!

507
00:20:01,034 --> 00:20:02,952
But
once Sam tried it on,

508
00:20:03,077 --> 00:20:04,412
he thought it was in character

509
00:20:04,537 --> 00:20:06,164
and convinced his
director to keep it.

510
00:20:06,289 --> 00:20:08,124
He ended up with
this Jheri curl.

511
00:20:08,291 --> 00:20:09,417
The only problem--

512
00:20:09,542 --> 00:20:11,294
It was cheap.
It was an issue.

513
00:20:11,294 --> 00:20:13,046
You know, once you've
got a cheap wig

514
00:20:13,046 --> 00:20:15,048
and you're gonna see the
netting and the this.

515
00:20:15,173 --> 00:20:17,133
They were really
struggling to make it work

516
00:20:17,258 --> 00:20:19,719
- at the last minute.
- Does he look like a bitch?

517
00:20:20,303 --> 00:20:22,889
With Art Department
and Wardrobe complete,

518
00:20:22,889 --> 00:20:24,724
"Pulp Fiction"
could start filming

519
00:20:24,891 --> 00:20:27,852
the opening breakfast scene at
California's Hawthorne Grill

520
00:20:27,977 --> 00:20:30,647
on September 20th, 1993.

521
00:20:30,772 --> 00:20:33,107
Put the extras where
they were sitting.

522
00:20:33,233 --> 00:20:34,692
But everyone
would need to step up

523
00:20:34,818 --> 00:20:37,654
and adjust to Tarantino's
unconventional methods.

524
00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:39,239
He's not from film school.

525
00:20:39,405 --> 00:20:41,074
He broke all the rules.

526
00:20:41,199 --> 00:20:42,784
You see, that
shit don't matter.

527
00:20:42,909 --> 00:20:45,119
He was sure that he would
get the shots he needed.

528
00:20:45,245 --> 00:20:46,746
That's why I always say
I'm always right too.

529
00:20:46,746 --> 00:20:49,916
It was really just up to
us to just follow suite.

530
00:20:50,083 --> 00:20:51,584
Let him make his movie.

531
00:20:51,584 --> 00:20:53,336
Everybody be cool,
this is a robbery!

532
00:20:53,336 --> 00:20:56,131
You could feel
immediately the difference

533
00:20:56,256 --> 00:20:57,924
of any movie that I had been on.

534
00:20:57,924 --> 00:20:59,968
Any of you fucking pricks move--

535
00:21:00,093 --> 00:21:03,137
The energy and
excitement was palatable.

536
00:21:03,263 --> 00:21:04,430
It's cool, baby!

537
00:21:04,430 --> 00:21:05,974
It's cool!

538
00:21:06,099 --> 00:21:07,392
The script
flew off the pages

539
00:21:07,517 --> 00:21:09,936
as the actors delighted
in every mouthful.

540
00:21:10,061 --> 00:21:12,647
By that rationale, if a
pig had a better personality,

541
00:21:12,772 --> 00:21:14,732
he would cease to
be a filthy animal.

542
00:21:14,899 --> 00:21:16,109
Is that true?

543
00:21:16,276 --> 00:21:17,277
Well, we have to
be talking about

544
00:21:17,277 --> 00:21:18,361
one charming motherfucking pig.

545
00:21:18,486 --> 00:21:20,113
He's a master of dialogue,

546
00:21:20,238 --> 00:21:21,948
and he's a master of
taking that dialogue

547
00:21:22,073 --> 00:21:24,409
and putting it into
particular character's mouth.

548
00:21:24,534 --> 00:21:26,744
We're all gonna be like
three little Fonzies here.

549
00:21:26,870 --> 00:21:27,912
And what's Fonzie like?

550
00:21:28,079 --> 00:21:29,873
- Cool.
- Correct-amundo!

551
00:21:30,039 --> 00:21:32,125
And the dialogue
between Vincent and Jules

552
00:21:32,125 --> 00:21:33,835
- in this scene...
- So tell me again

553
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:35,879
- about the hash bar.
- Okay, what you want to know?

554
00:21:35,879 --> 00:21:39,257
...was inspired by
Quentin's Amsterdam experience.

555
00:21:39,382 --> 00:21:42,760
{\an8}Basically Jules is
Tarantino returning

556
00:21:42,886 --> 00:21:44,137
from his time in Europe.

557
00:21:44,304 --> 00:21:45,305
It's legal to buy it.

558
00:21:45,471 --> 00:21:47,056
It's legal to own it.

559
00:21:47,223 --> 00:21:48,641
And if you're the
proprietor of a hash bar,

560
00:21:48,808 --> 00:21:50,226
it's legal to sell it.

561
00:21:50,226 --> 00:21:52,395
And discussing with a
friend the differences

562
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,480
of Europe and America to them.

563
00:21:54,647 --> 00:21:56,399
They don't call it a
Quarter-Pounder with cheese?

564
00:21:56,566 --> 00:21:58,401
They got the metric system.

565
00:21:58,401 --> 00:21:59,486
They wouldn't know what the
fuck a Quarter-Pounder is.

566
00:21:59,611 --> 00:22:01,154
And what do they call it?

567
00:22:01,154 --> 00:22:03,531
They call it the
Royale with Cheese.

568
00:22:03,656 --> 00:22:05,492
Royale with Cheese.
That's right.

569
00:22:05,492 --> 00:22:08,119
His dialogue was
very important to him.

570
00:22:08,286 --> 00:22:10,163
Very important.

571
00:22:10,163 --> 00:22:11,956
But would
that dialogue be too much

572
00:22:12,081 --> 00:22:13,124
of a good thing?

573
00:22:13,124 --> 00:22:14,584
Gave her a foot massage.

574
00:22:14,709 --> 00:22:16,836
The foot massage
walk from the elevator

575
00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:18,338
down that hallway.

576
00:22:18,338 --> 00:22:19,881
If you play with
matches, you get burned.

577
00:22:20,006 --> 00:22:20,965
That took a while.

578
00:22:21,090 --> 00:22:22,008
It was a foot massage.

579
00:22:22,133 --> 00:22:23,593
A foot massage is nothing.

580
00:22:23,718 --> 00:22:25,053
A corridor
that was too short.

581
00:22:25,178 --> 00:22:27,347
And dialogue that was too long.

582
00:22:27,347 --> 00:22:30,266
{\an8}They arrive, still, and they
have couple of pages left.

583
00:22:30,266 --> 00:22:32,602
{\an8}- This is the door.
- What to do?

584
00:22:32,727 --> 00:22:35,021
Can they walk a
little bit slower?

585
00:22:35,021 --> 00:22:36,898
- Just laying your hands--
- Could slowing down

586
00:22:37,023 --> 00:22:39,108
- to a shuffle work?
- No.

587
00:22:39,234 --> 00:22:40,777
Would
trimming the dialogue help?

588
00:22:40,777 --> 00:22:42,195
No.

589
00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:44,197
Every sentence was
very important.

590
00:22:44,197 --> 00:22:46,199
Classically
trained Sekula

591
00:22:46,366 --> 00:22:48,827
and self-taught Tarantino,
put their heads together

592
00:22:48,993 --> 00:22:51,412
and came up with an elegant
on-the-spot solution.

593
00:22:51,538 --> 00:22:53,456
What time you got?

594
00:22:53,581 --> 00:22:55,333
So they look here,
arrived too early.

595
00:22:55,458 --> 00:22:58,461
Oh, what what about the
cameras stay in the place?

596
00:22:58,628 --> 00:23:00,588
Only just swing
them and let them go

597
00:23:00,588 --> 00:23:02,549
to the other part
of the corridor.

598
00:23:02,549 --> 00:23:04,592
A little bit exchange
a few sentences and--

599
00:23:04,717 --> 00:23:06,511
Just because I wouldn't
give no man a foot massage--

600
00:23:06,636 --> 00:23:08,721
They return now,
is good time.

601
00:23:08,888 --> 00:23:11,850
And actually this worked
really well dramatically.

602
00:23:12,225 --> 00:23:13,768
Not as
dramatic as this.

603
00:23:14,978 --> 00:23:15,854
And one shot.

604
00:23:16,020 --> 00:23:17,105
Oh, I'm sorry.

605
00:23:17,230 --> 00:23:18,940
Did I break your concentration?

606
00:23:19,065 --> 00:23:20,942
Where Quentin would
set up Jackson's terrifying

607
00:23:21,067 --> 00:23:22,402
iconic monologue.

608
00:23:22,402 --> 00:23:24,154
Quentin sees it beforehand.

609
00:23:24,279 --> 00:23:25,446
You know, it's like, "So Sam,

610
00:23:25,446 --> 00:23:27,198
I want you to grab
the drink here."

611
00:23:27,323 --> 00:23:28,616
Why is that happening?

612
00:23:29,409 --> 00:23:31,786
"Just do it for me, please."

613
00:23:32,620 --> 00:23:34,247
That hit the spot.

614
00:23:34,372 --> 00:23:38,626
{\an8}It was incredible to
watch Sam play Jules.

615
00:23:38,751 --> 00:23:41,004
Ezekiel 25:17.

616
00:23:41,004 --> 00:23:42,839
The prayer talk.

617
00:23:43,006 --> 00:23:46,801
The path of the righteous
man is beset on all sides--

618
00:23:46,926 --> 00:23:50,180
It's delivered as if it
was melted off the page

619
00:23:50,180 --> 00:23:51,514
into his mind.

620
00:23:51,639 --> 00:23:53,183
he is truly his
brother's keeper--

621
00:23:53,349 --> 00:23:54,851
Being on set with him, wow,

622
00:23:55,018 --> 00:23:58,438
I'm getting paid to take
a masterclass in acting.

623
00:23:58,563 --> 00:24:01,775
Those who attempt to poison
and destroy my brother.

624
00:24:01,941 --> 00:24:03,943
You were frightened
if you were behind

625
00:24:04,068 --> 00:24:05,570
the third wall of the set.

626
00:24:05,570 --> 00:24:08,615
And you will know
my name is the Lord!

627
00:24:08,781 --> 00:24:10,617
And hiding
behind the wall of the set

628
00:24:10,784 --> 00:24:14,037
was none other than
Rosanna Arquette's brother.

629
00:24:14,204 --> 00:24:15,914
{\an8}Alexis Arquette was
my trans sister,

630
00:24:16,039 --> 00:24:19,209
{\an8}but is a boy in the movie
and is behind the door

631
00:24:19,334 --> 00:24:22,295
when he's doing the preaching
and he comes out shooting.

632
00:24:22,462 --> 00:24:23,963
Die, you motherfuckers!

633
00:24:26,257 --> 00:24:27,800
That's Alexis.

634
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:29,719
The object of
Jackson's righteous fury

635
00:24:29,886 --> 00:24:31,346
was Frank Whaley.

636
00:24:31,471 --> 00:24:33,223
He stole the briefcase.

637
00:24:33,389 --> 00:24:36,100
But in fact, Tarantino
had already stolen it

638
00:24:36,226 --> 00:24:37,685
from yet another movie.

639
00:24:39,646 --> 00:24:41,648
The case that the
hit men came to get,

640
00:24:41,815 --> 00:24:45,735
that was something similar
to some like '50s movie.

641
00:24:45,860 --> 00:24:47,445
Called
"Kiss Me Deadly."

642
00:24:47,612 --> 00:24:49,322
And I was like, oh,
I haven't seen that.

643
00:24:50,949 --> 00:24:52,575
Another
test for the true fans.

644
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,744
But the contents
of the briefcase--

645
00:24:54,869 --> 00:24:55,703
What is it?

646
00:24:55,829 --> 00:24:57,580
Whatever the audience wanted.

647
00:24:57,705 --> 00:24:59,124
It was funny because
people watching the movie

648
00:24:59,249 --> 00:25:01,334
had other ideas.

649
00:25:01,334 --> 00:25:02,502
Is that what I think it is?

650
00:25:02,502 --> 00:25:04,254
Gold revolver or something?

651
00:25:04,379 --> 00:25:05,839
- I don't know.
- That's his soul inside.

652
00:25:05,964 --> 00:25:07,549
- Vincent!
- I mean, I never got

653
00:25:07,549 --> 00:25:09,342
an answer out of Quentin.

654
00:25:09,467 --> 00:25:10,885
What do you think it
was? Gold or whatever?

655
00:25:11,010 --> 00:25:12,345
I said, "No, it was
a piece of light

656
00:25:12,345 --> 00:25:14,597
which my gaffer put inside."

657
00:25:14,764 --> 00:25:16,766
- We happy?
- Yeah, we happy.

658
00:25:16,891 --> 00:25:18,768
Case
closed on that scene.

659
00:25:18,935 --> 00:25:21,729
But now, Marvin's head
was about to get opened.

660
00:25:21,855 --> 00:25:24,441
{\an8}To blow all the brains
out and hit the windshield.

661
00:25:24,566 --> 00:25:26,025
We only got one take at that.

662
00:25:26,151 --> 00:25:28,111
I didn't mean to do it.
It was an accident.

663
00:25:33,116 --> 00:25:35,410
"Pulp Ftion"
was halfway through shooting,

664
00:25:35,535 --> 00:25:37,036
but the minor role of Marvin

665
00:25:37,162 --> 00:25:39,372
was about to come
to a sticky end.

666
00:25:39,539 --> 00:25:42,542
{\an8}Our scene in the car,
originally it was written

667
00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:45,086
that Vince would
shoot Marvin twice.

668
00:25:45,211 --> 00:25:49,257
Once an accidental shot in
the throat, and then second,

669
00:25:49,382 --> 00:25:50,967
"Let me get him
out of his misery."

670
00:25:51,134 --> 00:25:52,844
And then they would kill him
shooting him in the head.

671
00:25:53,011 --> 00:25:54,304
Jesus Christ.

672
00:25:54,471 --> 00:25:55,930
Quite reasonably,

673
00:25:56,055 --> 00:25:57,640
Travolta thought shooting
Marvin on purpose

674
00:25:57,765 --> 00:25:59,601
might be too extreme because...

675
00:25:59,726 --> 00:26:01,269
"The audience will hate me."

676
00:26:01,394 --> 00:26:03,897
Marvin, what do you make
of all this?

677
00:26:04,063 --> 00:26:05,690
Quentin agreed with him.

678
00:26:05,815 --> 00:26:07,400
He was like, okay, yeah,
we'll just make it one shot.

679
00:26:07,567 --> 00:26:10,069
The accidental shot just
kills the kid in the back.

680
00:26:10,195 --> 00:26:12,322
But it turns
out having one's head blown off

681
00:26:12,447 --> 00:26:14,073
is easier said than done.

682
00:26:14,199 --> 00:26:16,409
As Quintin always says,
"There was no digital effects

683
00:26:16,534 --> 00:26:18,661
{\an8}in the '70s, so we're
not doing them now.

684
00:26:18,828 --> 00:26:21,206
He wants you to
think, use your brain,

685
00:26:21,206 --> 00:26:24,167
and come up with something
that isn't the easy solution.

686
00:26:24,334 --> 00:26:26,002
You gotta call some people?

687
00:26:26,002 --> 00:26:27,378
Well, then do it!

688
00:26:27,545 --> 00:26:29,172
So we built a
full body puppet.

689
00:26:29,339 --> 00:26:30,798
The whole back of
the head was stuffed

690
00:26:30,924 --> 00:26:32,634
- with blood and brains.
- Man, I don't even

691
00:26:32,759 --> 00:26:34,511
- have an opinion.
- Well, you gotta have

692
00:26:34,636 --> 00:26:36,554
- an opinion.
- It was rigged

693
00:26:36,554 --> 00:26:39,182
with an air mortar fire, you
know. One, two, three, boom.

694
00:26:39,307 --> 00:26:40,975
Oh! Fuck's happening?

695
00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:42,685
- Oh man!
- Oh shit, man?

696
00:26:42,852 --> 00:26:44,521
Oh man, I shot
Marvin in the face.

697
00:26:44,646 --> 00:26:46,189
{\an8}We only got one take at that.

698
00:26:46,314 --> 00:26:49,192
{\an8}The cleanup was too messy,
so it was one and done.

699
00:26:49,317 --> 00:26:51,736
Yeah it was a fun scene and
like getting them all bloody

700
00:26:51,903 --> 00:26:53,863
and all brain matter
and all that stuff.

701
00:26:53,988 --> 00:26:56,241
So why isn't
Marvin's puppet face

702
00:26:56,407 --> 00:26:57,826
seen exploding on screen?

703
00:26:57,951 --> 00:27:00,537
Quentin had a really
interesting idea.

704
00:27:00,662 --> 00:27:02,330
"These rating people
are gonna want me

705
00:27:02,455 --> 00:27:03,706
to take something out.

706
00:27:03,832 --> 00:27:06,376
So I'll take out
one violent thing..."

707
00:27:06,501 --> 00:27:07,836
Well, look at this
fucking mess, man!

708
00:27:07,961 --> 00:27:09,254
...and replace
it with something

709
00:27:09,420 --> 00:27:10,839
a little less confronting.

710
00:27:10,964 --> 00:27:13,133
Quinton said, "Hey,
I want to do a shot

711
00:27:13,258 --> 00:27:15,426
from outside the
car of it driving,

712
00:27:15,552 --> 00:27:18,304
and then we can see the
blood on the back window."

713
00:27:18,429 --> 00:27:20,557
Courtesy
of the air mortar cannon

714
00:27:20,682 --> 00:27:22,058
full of fake blood.

715
00:27:22,058 --> 00:27:24,310
We were on the camera
truck with the pyro guy

716
00:27:24,310 --> 00:27:25,854
and follow it down the street.

717
00:27:25,979 --> 00:27:27,522
God came down from
heaven and stopped--

718
00:27:29,274 --> 00:27:30,900
It worked a treat.

719
00:27:31,067 --> 00:27:33,486
And Marvin's puppet head
wasn't even in the shot.

720
00:27:33,486 --> 00:27:35,113
Whatever Quentin wants to do,

721
00:27:35,238 --> 00:27:36,656
that's gonna be the
right way to do it.

722
00:27:36,823 --> 00:27:39,117
It was great, and I
trust him so much.

723
00:27:39,242 --> 00:27:41,828
But the puppet
wouldn't go to waste.

724
00:27:43,163 --> 00:27:45,331
Neither would all those
lessons Tarantino took

725
00:27:45,498 --> 00:27:46,833
back in drama school.

726
00:27:46,958 --> 00:27:48,460
- Jimmie.
- Uh-huh?

727
00:27:48,626 --> 00:27:50,086
{\an8}He does have a
thing for acting.

728
00:27:50,086 --> 00:27:51,212
{\an8}He loves that.

729
00:27:51,337 --> 00:27:52,380
You an oak man?

730
00:27:54,424 --> 00:27:55,633
Oak's nice.

731
00:27:55,758 --> 00:27:57,927
You can just see
the joy in him.

732
00:27:58,094 --> 00:28:00,763
He's not the best actor
in the world.

733
00:28:00,889 --> 00:28:02,682
- Knock it off, Julie.
- What?

734
00:28:02,807 --> 00:28:05,852
But he loves the process.

735
00:28:05,852 --> 00:28:07,812
Get 'em up there a little bit.

736
00:28:07,979 --> 00:28:10,607
Nowadays when people see
Quentin act, a lot of them say,

737
00:28:10,732 --> 00:28:13,735
"Oh, he's not very good."
But really what it is,

738
00:28:13,735 --> 00:28:16,696
when you see Quentin
acting, you see Quentin.

739
00:28:16,696 --> 00:28:18,239
I don't need you to tell me

740
00:28:18,364 --> 00:28:19,574
how fucking good
my coffee is, okay?

741
00:28:19,699 --> 00:28:20,950
I'm the one who buys it.

742
00:28:21,075 --> 00:28:22,368
You're so overwhelmed
by his presence

743
00:28:22,494 --> 00:28:25,288
because everybody
knows who he is.

744
00:28:25,413 --> 00:28:26,915
You know what's on
my mind right now?

745
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:29,250
It ain't the coffee
in my kitchen.

746
00:28:29,417 --> 00:28:30,627
That's right.

747
00:28:30,794 --> 00:28:32,253
It was the dead
body in the garage.

748
00:28:32,378 --> 00:28:34,005
'Cause Quentin's like, "No,
no, just make it all,

749
00:28:34,130 --> 00:28:35,632
put tons of shit and like
John has to get in there

750
00:28:35,798 --> 00:28:38,384
and like pluck off brains
off the ceiling."

751
00:28:38,510 --> 00:28:39,719
And, you know, he's
laughing the whole time.

752
00:28:39,844 --> 00:28:41,679
He's hysterical laughing.

753
00:28:41,846 --> 00:28:44,974
Oh man, I will never forgive
your ass for this shit.

754
00:28:45,099 --> 00:28:46,976
Sometimes
it was hard

755
00:28:47,143 --> 00:28:49,729
to believe different scenes
were from the same movie,

756
00:28:49,729 --> 00:28:52,816
with Tarantino switching
from hyper-realism...

757
00:28:52,941 --> 00:28:54,484
We gotta get this
car off the road-

758
00:28:54,609 --> 00:28:56,194
...to
comic subtlety.

759
00:28:56,319 --> 00:28:57,654
You were in that fight.

760
00:28:57,779 --> 00:28:59,364
Quentin, he has
a couple of grips

761
00:28:59,489 --> 00:29:00,949
like shaking the taxi.

762
00:29:01,074 --> 00:29:02,909
And I'm like, really Quentin?

763
00:29:02,909 --> 00:29:05,537
{\an8}You're gonna sit here and
like shake the taxicab now?

764
00:29:05,703 --> 00:29:07,914
{\an8}We can't even get out on
the street and put a camera

765
00:29:08,039 --> 00:29:10,917
in the cab and let
them like drive.

766
00:29:10,917 --> 00:29:12,544
I don't feel the
least bit bad about it.

767
00:29:12,710 --> 00:29:14,254
He turned around
to me and he goes,

768
00:29:14,420 --> 00:29:15,421
"You don't understand.

769
00:29:15,588 --> 00:29:17,465
I want my audience to remember

770
00:29:17,590 --> 00:29:19,425
that they're just in a movie."

771
00:29:19,551 --> 00:29:20,844
Just bring them
back to, you know,

772
00:29:20,969 --> 00:29:22,720
poor man's process, it's called.

773
00:29:22,887 --> 00:29:25,932
"This way, they'll get
relaxed and be calm

774
00:29:25,932 --> 00:29:28,268
and they'll just remember
they're just in an easy movie

775
00:29:28,393 --> 00:29:32,105
so later on I can
hit them again."

776
00:29:32,230 --> 00:29:35,400
Because on one hand, you're
doing hard real life.

777
00:29:35,525 --> 00:29:37,944
And then on the other hand,
you're doing stylized moments.

778
00:29:38,111 --> 00:29:39,988
So you're constantly
playing that out.

779
00:29:40,113 --> 00:29:42,157
He's genius and he's a master

780
00:29:42,323 --> 00:29:43,741
and he's editing it in his head.

781
00:29:43,867 --> 00:29:46,536
{\an8}Quentin's energy
is infectious.

782
00:29:46,536 --> 00:29:47,954
We're all having a good time.

783
00:29:47,954 --> 00:29:49,914
It permeates through everybody.

784
00:29:50,039 --> 00:29:52,876
{\an8}It's incredible kind of
atmosphere at his film set.

785
00:29:53,001 --> 00:29:55,295
We would go to
dailies to watch rushes

786
00:29:55,461 --> 00:29:56,796
at the end of the day.

787
00:29:56,963 --> 00:29:58,715
And it wasn't just
heads of department.

788
00:29:58,840 --> 00:29:59,966
Grips were showing up.

789
00:30:00,091 --> 00:30:01,634
The lighting guys
were showing up.

790
00:30:01,634 --> 00:30:03,511
- And they had beer.
- What you doing?

791
00:30:03,636 --> 00:30:05,221
I'm calling my partner
in Toluca Lake.

792
00:30:05,346 --> 00:30:07,015
We would lay down on the
floor in front of Quentin

793
00:30:07,140 --> 00:30:10,810
and Sally Menke and
listen to them talk

794
00:30:10,977 --> 00:30:14,731
about what we had
shot the day before.

795
00:30:14,898 --> 00:30:16,399
You know, Quentin
laughing at his own work,

796
00:30:16,524 --> 00:30:19,819
but Sally talking
really technical.

797
00:30:19,944 --> 00:30:21,362
Then it just made it feel

798
00:30:21,488 --> 00:30:22,697
like we were all
doing this together.

799
00:30:22,864 --> 00:30:24,324
It was a big party.

800
00:30:24,491 --> 00:30:26,326
It was Camp Tarantino.

801
00:30:26,451 --> 00:30:27,827
But
what would happen

802
00:30:27,994 --> 00:30:29,662
if one of the party
members was unable

803
00:30:29,662 --> 00:30:31,915
to continue making the movie?

804
00:30:32,081 --> 00:30:34,042
Everybody went
away for three days.

805
00:30:34,167 --> 00:30:36,294
Andrzej and his girlfriend
had taken a little trip

806
00:30:36,419 --> 00:30:37,754
to New Mexico.

807
00:30:37,921 --> 00:30:39,589
While I was driving
I fell asleep

808
00:30:39,756 --> 00:30:42,175
and was a horrendous
car accident.

809
00:30:47,430 --> 00:30:50,558
Polish directorf
photography Andrzej Sekula

810
00:30:50,683 --> 00:30:52,602
had been involved in
a serious accident

811
00:30:52,769 --> 00:30:54,938
while on a break from
filming "Pulp Fiction."

812
00:30:54,938 --> 00:30:56,898
{\an8}On that trip, apparently,

813
00:30:57,023 --> 00:30:59,651
{\an8}Andrzej drove off a
cliff and broke his leg.

814
00:30:59,776 --> 00:31:03,613
{\an8}I had to sign legal
about amputation of my leg.

815
00:31:03,613 --> 00:31:05,532
I was in hospital.

816
00:31:05,698 --> 00:31:09,744
I was supposed to be back on
the set, so I called Quentin.

817
00:31:09,744 --> 00:31:10,829
I'm in big fucking
trouble, man.

818
00:31:10,829 --> 00:31:12,622
We have a little bit bad luck.

819
00:31:12,747 --> 00:31:14,124
Whoa, hold your horses, man.

820
00:31:14,290 --> 00:31:16,251
Now is huge panic.

821
00:31:16,376 --> 00:31:18,378
Hang up the phone, prank
caller, prank caller.

822
00:31:18,503 --> 00:31:20,380
The company shut
down to figure out

823
00:31:20,380 --> 00:31:22,215
how we can continue shooting.

824
00:31:22,340 --> 00:31:24,467
With Sekula
waiting for surgery,

825
00:31:24,634 --> 00:31:27,762
production worked to finish
the single biggest budget spend

826
00:31:27,887 --> 00:31:31,307
on "Pulp Fiction," the set
of Jack Rabbit Slims,

827
00:31:31,432 --> 00:31:36,145
a Tarantino Labor of Love
with a $150,000 price tag.

828
00:31:36,312 --> 00:31:38,898
I do believe Marsellus,
my husband, your boss,

829
00:31:39,065 --> 00:31:41,901
told you to take me out
and do whatever I wanted.

830
00:31:41,901 --> 00:31:44,154
Now I wanna dance, I wanna win--

831
00:31:44,279 --> 00:31:46,823
The whole idea was to take
those '50s retro restaurants

832
00:31:46,948 --> 00:31:48,408
that are popping up
everywhere and, you know,

833
00:31:48,533 --> 00:31:50,451
create the big mamou
of them all.

834
00:31:50,577 --> 00:31:51,744
But a
set without cameras

835
00:31:51,744 --> 00:31:53,788
is like a restaurant
without a chef.

836
00:31:53,913 --> 00:31:55,331
Where was the DP?

837
00:31:55,331 --> 00:31:59,294
Quintin called me, and
I tell him, "I am fine."

838
00:31:59,419 --> 00:32:00,503
I know, unbelievable.

839
00:32:00,628 --> 00:32:02,046
He got through it.

840
00:32:02,172 --> 00:32:03,673
They saved my leg,
so I says I'm fine.

841
00:32:03,798 --> 00:32:05,675
I'm, I am ready, I will be back.

842
00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:07,927
But there
was one small problem.

843
00:32:08,094 --> 00:32:11,806
This time I was
in a wheelchair.

844
00:32:11,931 --> 00:32:13,808
Which meant
hiring another set of hands,

845
00:32:13,933 --> 00:32:16,853
well, legs, to operate
Andrzej's camera.

846
00:32:17,020 --> 00:32:20,523
They were carrying me
like I was like Pharaoh.

847
00:32:20,648 --> 00:32:22,525
Lifting me to the cameras,

848
00:32:22,525 --> 00:32:24,527
just looking through
camera, okay.

849
00:32:25,403 --> 00:32:27,864
And "Pulp
Fiction" was back on its feet

850
00:32:27,864 --> 00:32:29,741
just in time for--

851
00:32:29,908 --> 00:32:33,495
The world-famous Jack
Rabbit Slim's Twist Contest.

852
00:32:33,495 --> 00:32:35,705
Right here.

853
00:32:35,830 --> 00:32:37,540
Twinkletoes
himself had to prove

854
00:32:37,665 --> 00:32:40,001
he was at least as good as
Michael Madsen would have been

855
00:32:40,126 --> 00:32:42,796
if he'd taken on the
part of Vincent Vega.

856
00:32:42,962 --> 00:32:45,256
<i>♪ And I'm wondering how
I'll get down the stairs ♪</i>

857
00:32:45,423 --> 00:32:47,383
He'd been Johnny Fever.

858
00:32:48,635 --> 00:32:50,887
He'd been Johnny Danny.

859
00:32:51,846 --> 00:32:54,974
He'd been Johnny Hoedown.

860
00:32:55,099 --> 00:32:57,060
Stepping straight
back into the groove,

861
00:32:57,227 --> 00:33:00,396
Quentin's choice of leading
man was redeemed yet again.

862
00:33:00,522 --> 00:33:04,025
Doing it as a hit man, heroin
addict, overweight thug,

863
00:33:04,150 --> 00:33:07,237
was like a much more
fascinating way to do a twist.

864
00:33:08,488 --> 00:33:11,282
But Travolta's
twist had a twist.

865
00:33:11,407 --> 00:33:12,784
It was thought out.

866
00:33:12,951 --> 00:33:14,744
It wasn't, hey, let's
see what happens.

867
00:33:14,744 --> 00:33:17,997
Quentin had his
specific references
that he wanted to hit.

868
00:33:17,997 --> 00:33:21,125
References taken
from Fellini's film "8 1/2."

869
00:33:22,043 --> 00:33:25,296
And Tarantino asked
Uma to channel Duchess

870
00:33:25,421 --> 00:33:27,173
from "The Aristocats."

871
00:33:27,173 --> 00:33:29,801
But it wasn't just
cats, it was bats.

872
00:33:29,926 --> 00:33:31,594
He had the "Batman" reference.

873
00:33:36,224 --> 00:33:37,934
But one
cultural reference

874
00:33:38,101 --> 00:33:41,229
may have crossed the line
from sublime to ridiculous.

875
00:33:41,229 --> 00:33:43,440
Got the idea from that
episode of "The Flintstones."

876
00:33:43,606 --> 00:33:45,775
Really, a square.

877
00:33:45,900 --> 00:33:48,611
You mean like four corners?

878
00:33:48,736 --> 00:33:50,363
I wasn't planning
on doing that,

879
00:33:50,488 --> 00:33:52,115
but just before we're getting
ready to shoot the shot,

880
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:54,033
I said, "Uma, make
that distinctive

881
00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:55,535
because if you dare me,

882
00:33:55,660 --> 00:33:56,911
I just might do
it in the movie."

883
00:33:57,078 --> 00:33:59,622
She goes, "I dare ya."

884
00:33:59,747 --> 00:34:02,500
- Don't be a...
- Tarantino was testing

885
00:34:02,667 --> 00:34:06,379
all corners of the box.

886
00:34:06,546 --> 00:34:08,465
But he was about to
push a hyper-realism

887
00:34:08,465 --> 00:34:11,843
that would hopefully not
push the studio too far.

888
00:34:11,968 --> 00:34:13,011
Mind if I shoot up here?

889
00:34:13,136 --> 00:34:15,096
Hey, mi casa su casa.

890
00:34:15,221 --> 00:34:16,931
Quentin
would needle everyone,

891
00:34:16,931 --> 00:34:19,058
thanks to his old friend
from acting school.

892
00:34:19,184 --> 00:34:21,186
{\an8}What I did
on "Pulp Fiction" was,

893
00:34:21,352 --> 00:34:23,229
{\an8}it's a little embarrassing,
but I'll say it anyway.

894
00:34:23,229 --> 00:34:24,856
{\an8}I think a lot of people know.

895
00:34:25,023 --> 00:34:26,816
I used to be a drug
addict in Detroit,

896
00:34:26,941 --> 00:34:29,736
and so I worked
with Uma Thurman.

897
00:34:29,736 --> 00:34:31,654
I told her, a heroin overdose,

898
00:34:31,654 --> 00:34:33,990
you kind of know
you're in trouble, you
can kind of feel it,

899
00:34:34,115 --> 00:34:37,202
but then, the switch
gets turned off.

900
00:34:37,202 --> 00:34:41,331
I told John that when
you're high on heroin,

901
00:34:41,498 --> 00:34:44,209
it feels like you took
a couple hits of tequila

902
00:34:44,375 --> 00:34:47,170
and you're on a raft
floating in a swimming pool

903
00:34:47,170 --> 00:34:49,380
and the sun's beating down.

904
00:34:50,215 --> 00:34:53,468
And I would go out to the set
just to see what's going on.

905
00:34:53,593 --> 00:34:55,220
The overdosing--

906
00:34:55,345 --> 00:34:57,138
Was not a good
day for the studio suits

907
00:34:57,305 --> 00:34:59,140
to show up because remember...

908
00:34:59,265 --> 00:35:02,519
Miramax was part of Disney.

909
00:35:02,644 --> 00:35:04,729
That's very good.

910
00:35:04,854 --> 00:35:06,856
There were times where it
was like, "The suits are here."

911
00:35:06,981 --> 00:35:07,982
And we would freeze.

912
00:35:08,108 --> 00:35:10,068
We wouldn't shoot

913
00:35:10,068 --> 00:35:11,528
because Quentin didn't want
to have to change anything.

914
00:35:11,653 --> 00:35:12,987
Say, "Oh, we're on break.

915
00:35:13,112 --> 00:35:14,739
Yeah, it'll be
another 45 minutes."

916
00:35:14,864 --> 00:35:16,533
He was hoping they'd go.

917
00:35:17,117 --> 00:35:19,452
When the cats
went away, the mice could play.

918
00:35:19,619 --> 00:35:21,037
Help me, pick her up.

919
00:35:21,162 --> 00:35:22,080
With one
playing a pivotal part

920
00:35:22,205 --> 00:35:23,665
in a climactic scene.

921
00:35:23,790 --> 00:35:26,084
Lance! What's
going on down here?

922
00:35:26,251 --> 00:35:28,795
{\an8}And a woman is OD'ing and going
to die in your living room.

923
00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:30,547
- She's OD'ing!
- Well, get her out of here!

924
00:35:30,713 --> 00:35:33,424
It's pretty much easy
to like go there and--

925
00:35:33,591 --> 00:35:35,593
- Shut up!
- Fuck you!

926
00:35:35,593 --> 00:35:37,011
He let me improvise a little bit

927
00:35:37,137 --> 00:35:39,013
because that's my
favorite thing to do.

928
00:35:39,139 --> 00:35:42,141
Like I did, like, the whole
going, "Pig." That is me.

929
00:35:42,767 --> 00:35:44,185
- Pig!
- And he kept it.

930
00:35:44,310 --> 00:35:46,980
But when
it came to one shot--

931
00:35:47,147 --> 00:35:48,106
In a stabbing motion.

932
00:35:48,231 --> 00:35:49,691
So it's a slam down.

933
00:35:49,816 --> 00:35:51,317
- Ready?
- One...

934
00:35:51,443 --> 00:35:54,028
It just comes alive
because we're doing it.

935
00:35:54,195 --> 00:35:55,780
There's something that happens

936
00:35:55,947 --> 00:35:57,824
when the camera is
like actually filming.

937
00:35:57,949 --> 00:35:59,451
Two...

938
00:35:59,576 --> 00:36:01,035
Rosanna
Arquette found a way

939
00:36:01,161 --> 00:36:03,496
to inject more personality
into the scene.

940
00:36:03,621 --> 00:36:06,166
Her whole thing is about
her piercings, and so for me,

941
00:36:06,332 --> 00:36:08,960
it was like the ultimate pierce
and she gets off on it like,

942
00:36:09,085 --> 00:36:10,503
oh my god, this is
the ultimate pierce.

943
00:36:10,628 --> 00:36:13,256
I played it like that
and he loved that.

944
00:36:13,381 --> 00:36:17,427
I want to be pierced like
that, right in the heart.

945
00:36:19,971 --> 00:36:22,307
But yeah, that scene's
really memorable.

946
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:28,146
But Quentin was
about to open a Pandora's box

947
00:36:28,313 --> 00:36:34,027
of perversion to make the
overdose scene look PG.

948
00:36:34,027 --> 00:36:35,987
Bring out the gimp.

949
00:36:36,112 --> 00:36:37,363
{\an8}So I'm like, "What am I
supposed to do with this?"

950
00:36:37,489 --> 00:36:40,033
{\an8}This guy comes out of
the basement thing.

951
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:41,159
Kneel down.

952
00:36:41,284 --> 00:36:43,161
So Quentin said to me,

953
00:36:43,286 --> 00:36:45,163
"I want you to watch
these three films.

954
00:36:45,288 --> 00:36:47,874
There's a similar character
in each of these three movies,

955
00:36:47,874 --> 00:36:49,751
and he needs to look like that."

956
00:36:49,876 --> 00:36:51,586
I don't remember them.

957
00:36:51,711 --> 00:36:54,839
I just remember them being
really off-beat weirdo films

958
00:36:54,964 --> 00:36:56,341
from a long time ago.

959
00:36:56,341 --> 00:36:58,510
So I just came up with a
bunch of leather stuff.

960
00:36:58,635 --> 00:37:01,262
A little bit of my own work,
a little bit of Pleasure Chest.

961
00:37:01,262 --> 00:37:03,765
Right on Santa Monica
Boulevard, if anyone knows.

962
00:37:03,890 --> 00:37:05,725
And there was our gimp.

963
00:37:05,850 --> 00:37:09,145
{\an8}But he was so creepy. All
this, when they producing

964
00:37:09,145 --> 00:37:11,481
{\an8}this creature from the box.

965
00:37:11,481 --> 00:37:12,816
It
would be Tarantino's

966
00:37:12,941 --> 00:37:14,818
most controversial scene yet,

967
00:37:14,943 --> 00:37:16,736
and it called for a closed set.

968
00:37:16,736 --> 00:37:19,781
No spectators, no exceptions.

969
00:37:19,906 --> 00:37:22,408
We knew what was
happening in there.

970
00:37:22,408 --> 00:37:24,035
What
was going on in there

971
00:37:24,202 --> 00:37:26,454
was similar to what
was going on here.

972
00:37:26,579 --> 00:37:30,208
An homage to the excruciating
rape scene in "Deliverance."

973
00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:32,252
Was Quentin channeling
all those movies

974
00:37:32,418 --> 00:37:33,920
his stepdad took him to?

975
00:37:34,087 --> 00:37:36,923
Movies that he was
far too young to see

976
00:37:37,048 --> 00:37:39,134
such as "Deliverance."

977
00:37:41,261 --> 00:37:44,347
Was Tarantino trying
to outgross "Deliverance"?

978
00:37:44,472 --> 00:37:47,141
He was definitely grossing
out everyone on set.

979
00:37:47,267 --> 00:37:49,519
This was an uncomfortable
couple of days

980
00:37:49,519 --> 00:37:51,938
in that little
dungeon down there.

981
00:37:54,774 --> 00:37:58,278
I think it was so, I
could say, "push envelope."

982
00:37:58,278 --> 00:38:00,113
Quentin takes risks.

983
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,907
I mean, all very good
directors take huge risks.

984
00:38:03,074 --> 00:38:04,367
But he
didn't want to risk

985
00:38:04,492 --> 00:38:05,702
the ratings board
cutting the scene,

986
00:38:05,869 --> 00:38:08,079
so he added a sacrificial lamb.

987
00:38:08,204 --> 00:38:10,165
When Bruce samurais him,

988
00:38:10,290 --> 00:38:13,042
and we did a more elaborate,
grosser version in there.

989
00:38:13,168 --> 00:38:15,628
We made a spring-loaded
chest splitting rig.

990
00:38:15,753 --> 00:38:19,924
{\an8}It pops open so it
looks like it splits.

991
00:38:20,049 --> 00:38:21,467
And we did a version
where it was just

992
00:38:21,634 --> 00:38:25,472
a red line down his
shirt, like he got slashed.

993
00:38:25,597 --> 00:38:27,557
But even
with the safety shot,

994
00:38:27,682 --> 00:38:28,808
was it all too much?

995
00:38:28,808 --> 00:38:30,393
That was not easy for Bruce.

996
00:38:30,518 --> 00:38:32,395
- You okay?
- It wasn't easy for Ving.

997
00:38:32,395 --> 00:38:34,147
- No, man.
- I don't know

998
00:38:34,147 --> 00:38:36,483
how that movie is going to show.

999
00:38:42,113 --> 00:38:43,698
"Pulp
Fiction" wrapped

1000
00:38:43,823 --> 00:38:45,742
its most controversial
scene and finished the shoot

1001
00:38:45,867 --> 00:38:47,619
with a more family-friendly one.

1002
00:38:47,619 --> 00:38:50,121
Christopher Walken's
famous monologue.

1003
00:38:50,121 --> 00:38:51,623
{\an8}I carried this watch.

1004
00:38:51,748 --> 00:38:53,833
This watch was on
your daddy's wrist

1005
00:38:53,958 --> 00:38:56,002
when he was shot
down over Hanoi.

1006
00:38:56,169 --> 00:38:58,296
You know, you just,
just get goosebumps.

1007
00:38:58,463 --> 00:39:01,007
Walken handed over
the watch and "Pulp Fiction"

1008
00:39:01,007 --> 00:39:03,635
would be handed over to
"Reservoir Dogs" editor,

1009
00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:05,178
Sally Menke.

1010
00:39:05,303 --> 00:39:07,096
Sally, she knows
when to make a cut

1011
00:39:07,222 --> 00:39:09,974
{\an8}that is most impactful.

1012
00:39:10,099 --> 00:39:13,436
Brilliant in terms of suspense.

1013
00:39:13,436 --> 00:39:15,230
Just stretching out a moment,

1014
00:39:15,355 --> 00:39:18,483
like just until the
rubber band would snap.

1015
00:39:20,652 --> 00:39:23,530
And just
as predicted, the
censors only removed

1016
00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,407
Tarantino's built-in
fail-safe shots.

1017
00:39:26,533 --> 00:39:28,868
Perfect. We couldn't
have planned this better.

1018
00:39:28,868 --> 00:39:30,328
The
Censors were happy.

1019
00:39:30,328 --> 00:39:32,831
"Pulp
Fiction," rated R.

1020
00:39:32,956 --> 00:39:34,499
Roger Avary wasn't.

1021
00:39:34,666 --> 00:39:36,793
He still felt a
bit hard done by.

1022
00:39:36,793 --> 00:39:40,713
{\an8}Avary felt that he
wasn't given as much credit

1023
00:39:40,713 --> 00:39:42,257
as he should have been due.

1024
00:39:42,382 --> 00:39:44,342
He obviously contributed
to the watch strand,

1025
00:39:44,467 --> 00:39:47,178
but from Tarantino's side,
he was more like, "No, no, no.

1026
00:39:47,345 --> 00:39:49,389
Roger just wrote that
bit, I wrote all the rest.

1027
00:39:49,514 --> 00:39:52,517
I paid him for it,
and it's my script."

1028
00:39:52,684 --> 00:39:54,519
Creative
beefs were paused

1029
00:39:54,644 --> 00:39:58,523
as Pulp Fiction opened
October 14, 1994,

1030
00:39:58,648 --> 00:40:01,359
on its first weekend
grossing over $9 million,

1031
00:40:01,526 --> 00:40:05,697
making it the box office number
one and a critical success.

1032
00:40:05,697 --> 00:40:07,699
This is a tasty burger.

1033
00:40:07,824 --> 00:40:09,033
It blew up so quickly.

1034
00:40:09,159 --> 00:40:10,493
Spend the hour with the writer

1035
00:40:10,493 --> 00:40:11,828
and director, Quentin Tarantino.

1036
00:40:11,953 --> 00:40:13,371
Quentin Tarantino.

1037
00:40:13,371 --> 00:40:14,873
I don't know if any of
us were really prepared

1038
00:40:14,998 --> 00:40:16,875
for how huge it was.

1039
00:40:17,542 --> 00:40:20,336
"Pulp Fiction"
exploded and went global.

1040
00:40:20,461 --> 00:40:23,131
Another film
from Quentin Tarantino.

1041
00:40:23,131 --> 00:40:26,801
Making
$213 million worldwide

1042
00:40:26,926 --> 00:40:28,803
on its $8 million budget.

1043
00:40:30,346 --> 00:40:32,056
"Pulp Fiction."

1044
00:40:32,223 --> 00:40:34,309
It was "Star Wars" for
independent cinema.

1045
00:40:34,309 --> 00:40:36,019
But Quentin
was about to make the jump

1046
00:40:36,186 --> 00:40:37,604
to hyperspace.

1047
00:40:37,771 --> 00:40:39,606
Best picture of the
year. "Pulp Fiction."

1048
00:40:39,731 --> 00:40:42,984
Best achievement in
directing, Quentin Tarantino.

1049
00:40:43,109 --> 00:40:45,695
John Travolta
in "Pulp Fiction."

1050
00:40:45,820 --> 00:40:48,323
{\an8}With
seven nominations at
the Academy Awards.

1051
00:40:48,448 --> 00:40:50,867
Quentin Tarantino and
Roger Avary for "Pulp Fiction."

1052
00:40:51,034 --> 00:40:53,620
Oscar goes to Quentin Tarantino

1053
00:40:53,620 --> 00:40:55,747
and Roger Avary
for "Pulp Fiction."

1054
00:40:55,914 --> 00:40:57,624
Then he got an Oscar.

1055
00:40:57,749 --> 00:41:00,502
Well, Tarantino
and Avary shared an Oscar.

1056
00:41:00,627 --> 00:41:02,462
{\an8}Thanks.

1057
00:41:02,462 --> 00:41:04,923
The Academy saw it that way.

1058
00:41:05,048 --> 00:41:06,591
Maybe Quentin did not?

1059
00:41:06,758 --> 00:41:10,220
{\an8}This has been a
very strange year.

1060
00:41:10,220 --> 00:41:11,930
I can definitely say that.

1061
00:41:12,055 --> 00:41:15,141
But there was that moment
and it was uncomfortable

1062
00:41:15,141 --> 00:41:17,060
during the Oscars.

1063
00:41:17,060 --> 00:41:18,728
Maybe I should just say a
whole lot of stuff right here,

1064
00:41:18,728 --> 00:41:20,438
right now, just get
it all out of my system--

1065
00:41:20,563 --> 00:41:22,774
They looked uncomfortable
with each other.

1066
00:41:22,941 --> 00:41:24,317
And I really have to
take a pee right now,

1067
00:41:24,317 --> 00:41:26,277
so I'm gonna go.
Thank you.

1068
00:41:28,029 --> 00:41:29,447
But it was
still everyone's night.

1069
00:41:29,572 --> 00:41:31,741
"Pulp Fiction" was a
shared experience

1070
00:41:31,866 --> 00:41:35,203
and a victory for everyone
in Tarantino's orbit.

1071
00:41:35,328 --> 00:41:36,955
If I had been
in "Pulp Fiction"--

1072
00:41:37,121 --> 00:41:38,790
Instead
of this actor,

1073
00:41:38,957 --> 00:41:40,500
or perhaps even this one--

1074
00:41:40,625 --> 00:41:42,418
{\an8}It would have been a
completely different movie.

1075
00:41:42,544 --> 00:41:45,296
{\an8}And part of the reason why
it was taken the way it was

1076
00:41:45,421 --> 00:41:47,132
is because of John.

1077
00:41:47,298 --> 00:41:48,758
John had been nowhere.
He was doing movies

1078
00:41:48,883 --> 00:41:50,260
about talking babies.

1079
00:41:50,385 --> 00:41:51,302
And all of a sudden
he's got long hair

1080
00:41:51,302 --> 00:41:53,471
and he's got a gun and--

1081
00:41:53,596 --> 00:41:55,723
"Pulp Fiction" kind of
revitalized his career,
you know?

1082
00:41:55,890 --> 00:41:58,643
Travolta, along
with most of the leading cast,

1083
00:41:58,810 --> 00:42:00,770
was basking in
the halo of acting

1084
00:42:00,937 --> 00:42:03,773
in an award-winning
movie, and all the career

1085
00:42:03,940 --> 00:42:06,401
and financial
success that follows.

1086
00:42:07,443 --> 00:42:09,737
Everyone apart from
Rosanna Arquette,

1087
00:42:09,863 --> 00:42:12,949
who had previously encountered
producer Harvey Weinstein

1088
00:42:13,074 --> 00:42:14,534
in his hotel room.

1089
00:42:14,534 --> 00:42:17,078
The incident happened
before "Pulp Fiction."

1090
00:42:17,203 --> 00:42:18,538
My heart was racing.

1091
00:42:18,663 --> 00:42:20,331
As soon as-- It was
like, "Danger, danger."

1092
00:42:20,456 --> 00:42:23,001
So I knew not to
go in that room.

1093
00:42:23,001 --> 00:42:24,419
And after firmly

1094
00:42:24,544 --> 00:42:26,463
rejecting Weinstein's
advances...

1095
00:42:26,588 --> 00:42:30,383
And he said, "Rosanna, you're
making a very big mistake."

1096
00:42:31,176 --> 00:42:33,386
Arquette's
rejection of Harvey Weinstein

1097
00:42:33,511 --> 00:42:35,472
clearly came at a cost,

1098
00:42:35,597 --> 00:42:38,183
but one she would
never regret paying.

1099
00:42:38,349 --> 00:42:40,643
I'm the only person
in all of "Pulp Fiction"

1100
00:42:40,810 --> 00:42:42,395
because everybody
worked for scale,

1101
00:42:42,562 --> 00:42:44,606
but they all had a
piece of the back end.

1102
00:42:44,731 --> 00:42:45,815
Not me.

1103
00:42:45,940 --> 00:42:47,609
And you know what, like,

1104
00:42:47,734 --> 00:42:51,321
as much as... poor guy has
obviously had some real issues,

1105
00:42:51,446 --> 00:42:54,782
like he had great taste
in films and directors.

1106
00:42:55,533 --> 00:42:58,244
One of those,
and the most prestigious,

1107
00:42:58,369 --> 00:42:59,537
was Quentin.

1108
00:43:00,330 --> 00:43:01,748
And his next film could move

1109
00:43:01,748 --> 00:43:04,292
in a completely
different direction.

1110
00:43:04,417 --> 00:43:06,294
What the fuck is
up with this shit?

1111
00:43:06,419 --> 00:43:08,171
Adapting
someone else's script.

1112
00:43:08,296 --> 00:43:11,382
"Jackie Brown" is ultimately
a middle-aged love story.

1113
00:43:11,966 --> 00:43:14,219
After
relaunching one career...

1114
00:43:14,344 --> 00:43:15,428
To be continued.

1115
00:43:16,012 --> 00:43:18,598
...Tarantino
was going to try again.

1116
00:43:18,598 --> 00:43:20,350
He's like, "Who's that guy?"

1117
00:43:20,475 --> 00:43:22,185
You're taking a
hell of a chance, kid.

1118
00:43:22,310 --> 00:43:25,313
But could these
two down-and-out actors carry

1119
00:43:25,313 --> 00:43:28,149
the now mainstream
director's third film?

1120
00:43:28,274 --> 00:43:29,943
What was I supposed to do?

1121
00:43:30,068 --> 00:43:32,153
Or would his
run of hits come to an end?

1122
00:43:32,278 --> 00:43:33,905
How are you
doing, Miss Jackie?

1123
00:43:34,072 --> 00:43:35,073
Come on in.