Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Madsen, and James Parks have starred in at least four Quentin Tarantino movies each, as the filmmaker has a tendency to reuse the same actors in his films. This allows the award-winning director to deal with known quantities when bringing his masterpieces to the screen. Tarantino is known for writing roles with specific actors in mind.
Tarantino is a well-known cinephile who is extremely knowledgeable about his craft. Responsible for such films as Django Unchained, Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Reservoir Dogs, the American director has consistently delivered hits at the box office. While Tarantino likes to work with the same talent across several of his movies, such as Uma Thurman, who starred in three of his films, and Tim Roth — who also starred in a trio of Tarantino classics — not everyone has been invited back into the fold. Working with Tarantino is most likely not a walk in the park, due to his constant pursuit of perfection.
There have been several stars who were one-hit wonders with the iconic filmmaker, including several big names. Here are some of the actors who only ever worked with the director who revolutionised independent cinema just once.
Will Smith
Will Smith never even got to work with the great director on screen, but he was seriously considered at one time to play the protagonist in Django Unchained. He was approached to perform the lead role, but after discussions, the hiring never went ahead.
The collaboration reportedly died due to the different visions of the actor and the director. According to the YouTube channel Backstage Whispers, both men saw Django in a different light. Jamie Fox ended up nailing the role with a raw performance after the official reason Smith did not get involved was due to scheduling conflicts.
As per the channel, it claimed: « Tarantino wanted discomfort, violence, and moral ambiguity. Smith wanted a redemptive arc, but neither man was willing to compromise, and the deal died right there. »
Bruce Willis
In the 1990s, Bruce Willis was the ultimate Hollywood tough guy and a huge star thanks to the Die Hard franchise. The action hero wanted clear motivations and straightforward explanations while working on the set of 1994’s Pulp Fiction. Willis reportedly wanted to know what his character was thinking in every moment, but Tarantino doesn’t like to spoon-feed actors.
Willis was a big fan of Reservoir Dogs and, after attending a gathering with producer Harvey Weinstein, expressed interest in working with Tarantino.
But things took a turn. Farout magazine reported what Willis said in an interview regarding The Expendables 2 in 2012: “Few people will work with him now, and I know I will never work with him again. It was a great crew, but a screaming director does not make for a pleasant set experience. But look, we were all big boys, and we got through it”.
Willis clashed with the director on the set of Pulp Fiction as Tarantino pushed back and the atmosphere got heated at times, according to Willis. They managed to finish a film that became one of the best ever made, but the two have not worked together since.
George Clooney
The Dusk till Dawn movie saw George Clooney, fresh from the television set of ER, star in the 1996 classic, which was directed by Robert Rodregiz and written by Tarantino. The relationship started off in a friendly fashion, with Tarantino portraying Clooney’s brother in the film.
The pair only worked together once, and in later years, comments were made that suggested a rift between the pair. Tarantino made comments in an interview that implied Clooney was not a movie star. Clooney responded in a GQ interview that he was « a little irritated » by Tarantino’s remarks and added, « So now I’m like, all right, dude, ****off. I don’t mind giving him ****. He gave me ****. »
Robert DeNiro
Hollywood royalty DeNiro starred in the 1997 hit, Jackie Brown, which was directed by Tarantino and also starred Pam Greer. Tarantino has spoken with great respect and admiration for De Niro’s acting ability, but the pair have only worked together once. There have been several unsubstansiated reasons put foward for why they have only collaborated one time including issues around pay for the actor.
