Whatever you may think of his previous movies as a whole or individually, the one thing that QT has proven over the course of his career is that he has a particularly remarkable talent for casting. To quote Roger Ebert:

“If Tarantino’s strengths are dialogue and plotting, his gift is casting.”

What would you have said pre-PULP FICTION if you had gotten word that John Travolta was going to play a lead part? Would you have written a similar article? I think it’s very possible–if you are over the age of 30, at least. For those of us who knew Travolta from his sweathog and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER days, it seemed daft.

PULP FICTION changed everyone’s opinion of Travolta, however, and QT’s battle to have him cast was proven to be worthwhile. And those who weren’t familiar with Travolta beforehand were introduced to a badass actor. (A former badass actor who since made BATTLEFIELD EARTH and became a silly Scientologist crusader, rendering QT’s hard work at reviving his career almost all for naught.)

And how about Robert Forster in JACKIE BROWN? Who knew that a guy who’d spent his entire career playing B-Movie thugs and bad television villains could turn in such an (excuse the cliche) electrifying performance? Who knew THAT GUY could command the screen as well as DeNiro or Pacino in their heyday?

As a sidenote: who knew that JACKIE BROWN would be the last good movie DeNiro would ever star in?

And when Warren Beatty turned down KILL BILL, how many people bemoaned QT’s choice of the KUNG FU guy (David Carradine) as a replacement? I defy you to watch that movie and try to imagine Warren Beatty in that role. Carradine owns it, now and forever.

I for one have long admired QT’s insight into actors–how he sees in certain actors what is not at all apparent to the rest of us. I have also appreciated the fact that with every QT movie I get introduced to a new side of an actor I’ve seen a thousand times before and never guessed they could be awesome.

The sentiments in your article have been expressed many times in the past–pretty much during the casting phase of every film QT’s made since PULP FICTION. Knowing his history, and the fact that I’ve never seen a single role miscast in a single QT film, my bet is on QT.

Whatever you may think of his previous movies as a whole or individually, the one thing that QT has proven over the course of his career is that he has a particularly remarkable talent for casting. To quote Roger Ebert:

“If Tarantino’s strengths are dialogue and plotting, his gift is casting.”

What would you have said pre-PULP FICTION if you had gotten word that John Travolta was going to play a lead part? Would you have written a similar article? I think it’s very possible–if you are over the age of 30, at least. For those of us who knew Travolta from his sweathog and SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER days, it seemed daft.

PULP FICTION changed everyone’s opinion of Travolta, however, and QT’s battle to have him cast was proven to be worthwhile. And those who weren’t familiar with Travolta beforehand were introduced to a badass actor. (A former badass actor who since made BATTLEFIELD EARTH and became a silly Scientologist crusader, rendering QT’s hard work at reviving his career almost all for naught.)

And how about Robert Forster in JACKIE BROWN? Who knew that a guy who’d spent his entire career playing B-Movie thugs and bad television villains could turn in such an (excuse the cliche) electrifying performance? Who knew THAT GUY could command the screen as well as DeNiro or Pacino in their heyday?

As a sidenote: who knew that JACKIE BROWN would be the last good movie DeNiro would ever star in?

And when Warren Beatty turned down KILL BILL, how many people bemoaned QT’s choice of the KUNG FU guy (David Carradine) as a replacement? I defy you to watch that movie and try to imagine Warren Beatty in that role. Carradine owns it, now and forever.

I for one have long admired QT’s insight into actors–how he sees in certain actors what is not at all apparent to the rest of us. I have also appreciated the fact that with every QT movie I get introduced to a new side of an actor I’ve seen a thousand times before and never guessed they could be awesome.

The sentiments in your article have been expressed many times in the past–pretty much during the casting phase of every film QT’s made since PULP FICTION. Knowing his history, and the fact that I’ve never seen a single role miscast in a single QT film, my bet is on QT.