11 Things We Learned From Quentin Tarantino On Joe Rogan Experience
8. John Travolta Was Originally Eyed For Pulp Fiction's Lance Role
Tarantino's Pulp Fiction was the movie that relaunched John Travolta's career in a huge way. As Tarantino says during his Joe Rogan Experience appearance, Travolta's stock had fallen to the point that he was doing straight-to-video pictures or the Look Who's Talking movies.
When first putting together his Pulp Fiction cast wish-list for, at the time, TriStar, Quentin included the Saturday Night Fever star as one of the many, many names who he'd like to see involved in the film.
Of course, Travolta would end up playing drug-addicted hitman Vincent Vega - one of Pulp Fiction's lead roles - and nab himself an Oscar nomination, but Tarantino revealed to Rogan that he originally envisioned John Travolta playing a different character.
That character was Vincent's drug dealer Lance - a role played by Eric Stoltz - and Travolta as Vincent only came about after Quentin's first choice for the gig, Michael Madsen, dropped out to take on a role opposite Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp.
Upon formally meeting with John Travolta, it was then that QT realised he would be perfect for the now-vacant Vincent Vega role.
Even then, though, it was only when Tarantino threatened to take Pulp Fiction elsewhere that Miramax - who had by that point picked up the film - caved and agreed to the casting of Travolta as Vincent.