20 Things You Didn't Know About Jackie Brown
19. But It Could Have Been...
Despite Tarantino being fairly clear-minded about who he wanted in what role, that didn't stop a parade of actors from wanting in on the project. Pulp Fiction had revitalized the career of a longtime box office poison John Travolta, and there were no shortage of actors whose careers couldn't use the same shot in the arm.
Though many applied, few were even considered. Of those names, the most prominent for Max Cherry, the reluctant bail bondsman who gets embroiled in Jackie's plot to double-cross both the ATF and Samuel L. Jackson's gunrunner for $550,000 were Gene Hackman, Paul Newman and John Saxon.
There's no word how far Tarantino went in pursuing those names, but they were certainly fullbacks. You know you're a major director with almost complete creative control when names like "Hackman" and "Newman" are considered your understudies.