15 Actors You Didn't Know Were Almost Cast In Tarantino Movies

15. James Woods - Mr. Orange (Reservoir Dogs)

The Role: For his debut feature, QT was desperate to get James Woods for a role that, while never confirmed by the director, is widely accepted to be Mr. Orange, the undercover cop as was played so brilliantly by Tim Roth in the final film. What Happened?: Tarantino never actually spoke to Woods directly, instead making five offers through his agent, which the agent refused due to the low salary without even talking to the actor. When Tarantino and Woods later met and the actor found out what his agent had done, he fired him. Tarantino decided not to tell Woods which role he was offered "because the actor who played the role was magnificent anyway". Would It Have Worked?: Absolutely. While Woods might not have had the same brand of nervous energy that made Roth so great in the role, he would've killed it regardless. That said, Roth seems better-suited for the part, or is it just that it's difficult to imagine anyone else playing it so well?