10 Genius Ways Directors Got The Actor They Wanted
2. Quentin Tarantino Got Michael Keaton Drunk Enough To Say "Yes" - Jackie Brown
When Quentin Tarantino sets his mind to something, more often than not, the eccentric mind behind the likes of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs achieves what he sets out to do. And in the case of the casting of Jackie Brown's ATF agent Ray Nicolette, the director had his heart set on one actor and one actor alone: Michael Keaton.
For whatever reason, though, the Batman star was hellbent on not playing the part of Nicolette, with Tarantino explaining how "Michael's whole thing is to deny himself and to say he's not right."
That still wasn't enough to convince Tarantino to give up hope, mind, with the enigmatic auteur eventually inviting Keaton out for some drinks in an attempt to finally persuade him to join the Jackie Brown adventure.
And in the end, a night fulled by Jagermeister wound up resulting in Keaton being tied into the feature before long, with the actor confessing down the road:
"...I don't know what happened but the next thing I'm heading home and I'm doing the movie. So I go, 'I guess I'm doing it.' My agent is all excited and goes, 'Really? Why?' And I'm like, 'I don't know, I just woke up an hour ago and I don't remember.'"
We've all been there...