One Actress Who Cheated Tarantino's Worst Film's Audition: ‘I Got a Pedicure’
Tarantino’s weaknesses are too well-known for actors to not take advantage of them.
Summary:
- Quentin Tarantino ’s weakness for beautiful feet is well-known in and beyond the movie industry.
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead once booked a role in Tarantino’s Death Proof by showing her pedicured feet in flip-flops on the audition.
- Tarantino himself isn’t a big fan of how Death Proof turned out but recognizes it as a decent movie despite being his worst.
Famous people are rarely only famous for their undisputable virtues: as soon as the paparazzi are on your tail, be sure your every secret and weakness will be either uncovered or lied about. For Quentin Tarantino, the situation was much easier than for those celebrities who try to hide their personal quirks as the director was never one to keep his preference for feet under wraps.
But with his main weakness exposed to the world, it was only a matter of time before aspiring actors would try to use it to win over Tarantino’s sympathies on the audition.
One Actress Used Tarantino’s Kink Against Him
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, the scream queen hailing from the proud ranks of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World lead stars, once decided to use Quentin Tarantino’s weakness for beautiful feet against him. When the legendary director was auditioning actors for Death Proof, Winstead went all-in in winning over Tarantino’s heart and mind.
“I went to the audition in flip-flops. <...> I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, he likes feet. I know that. I’m aware.’ So I got a pedicure, and everything, and I kind of did the same thing that Sydney Poitier says she did, where she just kind of flipped off a shoe — threw off her flip-flops and put her feet on the table. I kind of did that as well,” Winstead jokingly shared with Hollywood.
Is appealing to a director’s…personal preferences to get a role a noble tactic? No, not really. But is it effective? Yes, it is. Mary Elizabeth Winstead got cast in the film.
Death Proof: Tarantino’s Worst Is Still Very Good
While Quentin Tarantino was vocal about not being exactly happy with how Death Proof turned out to be, and the movie feeling rather minor in the director’s stellar career, it’s still a really decent movie. Despite the director’s claims, the film has a solid 71% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes — and Tarantino knows it.
“Death Proof has got to be the worst movie I ever make. And for a left-handed movie, that wasn’t so bad, all right? So if that’s the worst I ever get, I’m good,” the director told THR.
We wonder if considering how Tarantino himself treats this movie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead ever regretted going the extra mile in flip-flops to book that gig or not.