If you don't follow the Rewatchables podcast, you really should. They did a 2-part, 3-hour version of it on Pulp Fiction last week that was hilarious and riveting. Most interesting to me was that Tarantino specifically wrote the part of Jules for Laurence Fishburne, who wanted to do it, but had hired an agency to make him into a leading man in Hollywood. The agency said to turn it down because Jules was a supporting actor to VIncent, and that wasn't the right move for his career (particularly when they found out Travolta was the lead).
So they hired Sam Jackson instead. Then, Fishburne was supposed to be opposite of Bruce Willis in Die Hard with a Vengeance, but that agency was telling him you have to ask for $1 million which the studio didn't want to do. The producers of Die Hard from the studio are at Cannes to support Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction and get the word that SLJ is throwing 100 MPH in Pulp Fiction, and decide - if he's really good, we pull the offer to Fishburne, which is exactly what happened.
The sliding doors part of this is really fascinating when you consider Jackson goes on to lobby and win a Star Wars role in the prequels that might not have otherwise existed, and his performance in PF is so legendary that the Nick Fury artist gets his permission to recreate the comic book character to look like Sam, thus sending him roles in 15+ Marvel movies as well.
Life is better with a beagle
