‘Pulp Fiction’ behind-the-scenes lore revealed
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
Quoting Ezekiel 25:17 from “Pulp Fiction” will likely get you laughed out of Sunday school class.
That’s because the recitation by Samuel L. Jackson’s character veers substantially from the actual Bible verse.
Scripture isn’t the only thing writer-director Quentin Tarantino took creative liberties with for the film that premiered at Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 1994.
In honor of the movie’s 25th anniversary, here’s a collection of trivia, inside jokes and behind-the-scenes lore:
• Among the actresses reportedly considered for the role of Mia — which went to Uma Thurman — were Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfeiffer and Joan Cusack.
• Ellen DeGeneres tried out for the role of Jody, the pierced-face wife of Vincent Vega’s drug dealer, that ultimately went to Rosanna Arquette.
• Blink and you may miss her, but comedian Kathy Griffin appears in the scene where bad guy Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) collides with Butch (Bruce Willis). Griffin has said she used to date Tarantino.
• “Saturday Night Live” alum Julia Sweeney had a bit role as a junkyard owner and The Wolf’s breakfast date, Raquel. In real life, she had been married to Stephen Hibbert, who played The Gimp in the film.
• Steve Buscemi made a cameo as the Buddy Holly waiter at Jack Rabbit Slim’s.
• Producer Richard Gladstein told Vanity Fair that when Jackson did his second audition for the role of Jules he showed up with a burger and fries — key props in one of the film’s pivotal scenes. The actor proceeded to consume the meal so menacingly that Gladstein said, “I thought that this guy was going to shoot a gun right through my head.”
• Tarantino got a lot of use out of the Honda Civic that Butch drives in the film. It’s the same car Pam Grier drives in the title role of “Jackie Brown,” and it appears in a parking lot scene in “Kill Bill: Volume 2.”
• And speaking of cars, the 1964 Chevelle Malibu convertible driven by Vincent Vega (John Travolta) actually belonged to Tarantino and was stolen shortly after the film came out.
Yahoo reported that one Bill Hemenez of San Leandro, California, spent more than $40,000 to restore the classic ride, which he had for a dozen years before police informed him in 2013 that it was the famous vehicle. Hemenez had never seen the film and did not know who Tarantino was at the time. The car was returned to Tarantino.
• Another of the movie’s memorable props came straight from Tarantino’s pocket. Jules’ wallet, which had “Bad Mother F****r” written on it, actually belonged to the director.
• The scene where Vincent plunges a syringe into Mia’s chest to revive her from an overdose was filmed with Travolta pulling the needle out of her, and then the film was run backward.
• One of Tarantino’s friends, a recovering heroin addict, advised Travolta on how best to portray a man riding that horse. He told the actor that getting drunk on tequila while relaxing in a hot bath would closely approximate a heroin high without him actually having to do the drug.
• Vincent Vega is the brother of Vic Vega, aka Mr. Blonde, from Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs.” Michael Madsen played the character in that film.
• Fruit Brute — the cereal eaten by Lance (Eric Stoltz) — also showed up in “Reservoir Dogs,” in the apartment of Mr. Orange. And, yes, it was a real cereal. It was part of of General Mills’ monster collection, which also included Count Chocula, Boo Berry, Franken Berry and Yummy Mummy.
• If Fabienne’s line, “Any time of day is a good time for pie,” sounds familiar, it should. The character of Alabama says the same thing in another Tarantino film, “True Romance.”
• In a story about a gold watch, Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) refers to a soldier named Winocki who transported it. Joe Winocki was the name of a character in the 1943 film “Air Force,” directed by Howard Hawks, one of Tarantino’s personal heroes.
• The audience is led to believe that Vincent and Mia won the dance contest at Jack Rabbit Slim’s restaurant because they leave with the trophy. But late in the film, there’s a radio bulletin about the trophy having been stolen.
• There have been many theories about what is in that mysterious briefcase that Jules and Vinnie had to protect, with everything from gold to Marsellus’ soul being suggested. Tarantino has said in interviews that it’s whatever fans choose it to be, though he has also had fun with moviegoers by promising a “reveal.”
• The F-word is used 265 times in the movie.
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