10 Outrageous Ways Movie Directors Got Performances Out Of Actors
6. Quentin Tarantino Wouldn't Let Christoph Waltz Rehearse With The Cast - Inglourious Basterds
Undoubtedly feeling as though he'd found something truly special in Christoph Waltz's mesmerising portrayal of Hans Linda in the lead-up to shooting 2009's Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino had a rather strange request for his chosen antagonist early on in production.
As he'd later recall on The Moment podcast, (via IndieWire), Tarantino wanted Waltz to hold back during the initial script reading with the rest of the cast, with the barmy director telling his actor:
"I do not want them to think that they are getting a glimpse of who you are really going to be."
This was all an effort to eventually shock those who would be sharing a scene with the fully Landa'd Waltz when it came time to call action. Tarantino even denied Waltz the chance to rehearse with anyone outside of Denis Ménochet's French farmer, Perrier LaPadite, in the film's iconic opening sequence, claiming:
"I don’t want Diane Kruger or Brad Pitt to know your gun-slinging abilities until the cameras are rolling.”
But with the formidable thespian still sensing he needed some form of rehearsal before stepping onto the high-pressure set, Tarantino would accept Waltz's request to rehearse with him beforehand. And the rest was Oscar-winning history.