A Disagreement Over Johnny Depp Landed Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction At Miramax

It seems that with every major successful film release in Hollywood, there's a story about how a studio or producer turned down their chances at financing or distributing what would have otherwise made them legends in the industry. Such is the case with "Pulp Fiction," which famously turned Miramax into a household name associated with critical acclaim and independent filmmaking in the 1990s. However, Miramax's Bob and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein weren't the first executives that director Quentin Tarantino approached. Mike Medavoy, head of Columbia's independent productions branch TriStar Pictures and former head of the bankrupt Orion Pictures, regrettably turned down the script at his initial offering.

Medavoy wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the project as the Weinsteins were. Miramax was a fairly new company at the time but had a small but respectable slate of independent films that earned them the attention of Disney, who acquired the studio in 1993 and granted the Weinsteins creative autonomy unusual for the massive corporation. Medavoy, on the other hand, had been a Hollywood name since the 1970s, when he worked at United Artists and helped bring to the public classics such as "Rocky," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and "Apocalypse Now." As co-founder of Orion Pictures, he released "RoboCop," "The Terminator," and "The Silence of the Lambs," and at TriStar he continued his critical and financial success with "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "Philadelphia," and "Sleepless in Seattle." In other words, Medavoy had a long list of smash hits while the Weinsteins were foaming for a cinematic cultural phenomenon they could call their own.

One of the sticking points between Mike Medavoy and Quentin Tarantino was the casting choice for Pumpkin, a character that bookends the film but who interestingly doesn't play a major role throughout the rest of the story. According to the published rough cast list, Tarantino's first choice was Tim Roth, but he did have backups in mind in case the actor turned down the role. Among the follow-up choices was Johnny Depp, whose bigger star power but lower list rank perplexed Medavoy. According to Tarantino in an interview with the podcast 2 Bears, 1 Cave, Medavoy wanted to prioritize Depp first and wasn't even interested in signing on Roth. In rebuttal, Tarantino asked the producer if a more recognizable actor in a minor role would make a financial dent. In his own words, Tarantino questioned:

"Do you think Johnny Depp playing the role of Pumpkin in this movie, which is the opening scene and the closing scene that's it, do you think that will add that much to the box office?"

Medavoy's response? "It won't add a dime but it would make me feel better." The TriStar chairman reportedly turned down the script for additional reasons, namely because he was uncomfortable with the scene when Vincent accidentally shot Marvin in the face. As it turns out, Medavoy had just discussed the issue of violence on screen with President Bill Clinton and wasn't too keen on the darkly comedic and nihilistic depiction of a head explosion. Still, the casting disagreement demonstrates an example of how a minor fixation can plague a Hollywood executive and cause them to miss out on being a part of cinema history.