The red carpet, projectionist, movie addicts and the world of art owe a fair deal to the Tennessee born director, producer, screenwriter and actor, Quentin Jerome Tarantino. Time itself could well certify the artist’s unique presence in the movie industry and – not to mention – his influence and controversial delivery, along with logic-defying plots and – as the cherry on top – his ingenious and meticulously chosen casts – have marked the childhood and lives of more than one worldwide.
The 49-year old director is known as a master blender and story teller with a very distinct style – aestheticizing gore, violence, sex and drugs. Tarantino’s uniqueness has been writing cinema history in his self-iconizing palmarès since the late 80s. The director’s particular attention to details led to a series of titles packed with witty dialogues and a number of A-list names from the acting world.
The protagonists and characters of Tarantino aren’t simply unique, but are also packed with pride and intellectual eccentricity – making the task of bringing them to life from written words an ambition only achievable with extremely versatile artists. Tarantino’s endeavours lead to the some of the finest performers in the business being called upon and a series of cult titles such as Reservoir Dogs (1992) (which appeared at the Sundance Film Festival by the then first-time writer-director) and the Palme D’or winning title, Pulp Fiction (1994) being forged in the halls of pop culture.
Depending on whose shoes you’re in, the “Tarantino effect” has shown to yield unpredictable results. For the likes of Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Uma Thurman, Michael Bowen and the iconic Samuel L. Jackson, the road has been full of unforgettable moments – with their services being enlisted throughout time. Others less frequently called (John Travolta) were still blessed with the director’s touch. The Saturday Night Fever legend’s career was arguably saved after his award-winning performance in Pulp Fiction (1994).
A few generations after cementing his name among the greats, QT continues his glorious adventure throughout the jungles of film-making with his latest title, Django Unchained bound to cause a lot of controversy with its alleged exaggeration on the grotesque – both morally and graphically – and on the use of the word ‘Nigg**’(Classic Tarantino. Ask Spike Lee!). However, it comes as no surprise for fans and haters of Tarantino alike, as with most of his movies – whether critics treat it as the last Cuban cigar on Earth or pigeon droppings on a white Lamborghini – it usually reaches the cult status sooner or later. That is the magic the writer-director casts.
In Django Unchained (2013), QT called upon Jamie Foxx and – the “cornerstone” of every traditional Tarantino recipe – Samuel L. Jackson. Having had some of his dialogues custom written, the actor seems to be in his natural element when shooting with the director. And, as the Tarantino tradition has so far unfolded, the desire to see more top actors interacting theatrically through some of the wittiest lines in cinema has left us at WhatCulture wondering what collaborations could possibly compliment the finesse and rawness of Quentin’s universe.
Below, our 10 carefully selected “characters with character” we believe could provide some serious entertainment, while adding some history and gloss to their CVs with Tarantino as reference.
(Few factors we’ve considered are screen presence, psychotic acting abilities, unpredictability and the ‘weirdo’ factor.)
Starting with… (click next to begin our countdown)…
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12 Comments
Nicolas Cage would be great in a Tarantino movie..
Love these guys to do a Tarantino film, but I would argue that most if not all of them have careers going strong…
Though I’m not a big Tarantino fan, I always thought a match of Tarantino and Billy Zane would be awesome (and it would surely help Zane’s wrecked acting career).
Love it.
This article should be re-titled “actors who would be perfect in a Quentin Tarantino film.” None of them need to be “saved” because they have yet to hit the bottoms of the careers like what the title implies. It would be cool to see all of them in a Tarantino film, but what about the ladies? Why didn’t you put any females on your list? What’s up with that?
I’d go for Sam Rockwell and Al Flippin’ Pacino. Come on, none of the actors on your list needed “saving”. If there’s one man that I’d love to see doing better movies with kick-ass directors who know how to use his talent, it’s Al Patch for sure. And Guy Ritchie, though I loved Snatch and Lock, Stock, his a Teletubby next to QT, come on. The Coen brothers make smarter, more compelling crime movies and given their extraordinary versatility I wouldn’t even say they’re “crime” directors per se.
I must say, this is a pretty horrible list with choices that make no sense other then perhaps the writer’s current favourite actors or something in that line which he would like to see in a Quentin Tarantino movie.
Jean Reno was an unexpected choice though – as for alternative choices, now that Arnold is back in acting, I’d love for him to do some actually acting.
Interesting list – I agree on Ribisi but not Depp or Giamatti needing their careers saved in any way… however, I’ve got a few suggestions below, including some actresses (agreeing with “Amour” above – somehow that notion totally escaped this list):
Christian Slater
Luke Perry
Vince Vaughn
Eddie Murphy
Cary Elwes
Sean Young
Jennifer Beals
Ally Sheedy
Molly Ringwald
Oh, and throw in Andy Garcia too, while we’re at it!
Agreed. These actors do not need to be “saved”. And “QT” as you call him would agree. I doubt you are an actor or in the film industry? Or you would not have written this rubbish.
I think the article is about the main banner, “Who need the effect” in order for fans and us (the audience) to enjoy. He’s a writer, not an actor. Writers write, actors act, I think. =)
Imagine actors wrote, and writers acted!
Yes, whilst I disagree with the above article. I take the points the “writer” is trying to make.