7. James Woods (Mr. Orange, Reservoir Dogs)
Few will argue that Tim Roth doesn't give a belter of a performance in Tarantino's stunning debut film, and without Dogs, who knows where Roth would be now? However, Tarantino originally wrote the role of Mr. Orange for a far higher-profile actor in James Woods, yet when salary negotiations came around, Woods' agent refused five offers - which were substantially lower than Woods would usually take - without even talking to the actor about it first (after all, Tarantino was an unknown, first-time director at this stage). Woods and Tarantino eventually met, and when Woods found out what had happened, he fired his agent. Though Tarantino has not explicitly said that Woods was picked to play Mr. Orange - because Tarantino said the actor playing the role completely nailed it regardless - it is widely believed that it was Roth's part.