Movies - TV
A Disagreement Over Johnny Depp Landed Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction At Miramax
By ANDREW HOUSMAN
Considering the film’s immensely popular reception, it’s hard to imagine that some studios passed on Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction.” Miramax ended up producing the film, turning the company into a household name, but before that, Mike Medavoy at Columbia passed on the script because of a casting disagreement with Tarantino over Johnny Depp.
When it came to producing the film, Tarantino put together a list of all the potential actors he wanted for each role. For Pumpkin — a character who bookends the film but doesn’t necessarily have a large role — Tarantino’s first choice was Tim Roth, while Johnny Depp was one of his backups. This perplexed Medavoy who was attracted by Depp’s star power.
According to Tarantino, he asked Medavoy, “Do you think Johnny Depp playing the role of Pumpkin in this movie […] do you think that will add that much to the box office?" Medavoy’s answer was, “It won't add a dime but it would make me feel better," and eventually turned down the script not only because of casting but also because of its excessive violence.