20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Big Lebowski
2. The Incredible Shrinking Steve
As a running gag between a trio of their films, the Coen brothers make a point to drastically reduce the size of Steve Buscemi's characters' remains with each passing film. In Barton Fink, he's seen as a whole body.
In Fargo, he's seen as just a leg. In The Big Lebowski, he's reduced to ashes. Who knows what they'd do to poor Buscemi if he were to appear in another Coen brothers film?
The Coens love reusing actors throughout their filmography, and it's jokes like these — ones at the expense of the characters — that allow both the actors and the audience to laugh at the recurring appearances.