20 Things You Didn't Know About Jackie Brown
13. "Brown" Actually Comes From A British Film, Not Foxy
Tarantino's actual reason for the name change is surprisingly unrelated to Grier's past. Tarantino, like many crime filmmakers, is a big fan of Peter Yates' 1973 crime tragedy The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which features a flamboyant gunrunner who is also named Jackie Brown.
It may have been more fitting, then, to rename Samuel L. Jackson's Ordell Robbie, as much of his character's tics and behaviour are inspired by Coyle's Brown.