This Hollywood Icon Turned Down Not One but Two Roles in Quentin Tarantino's Movies

We all know Quentin Tarantino and his films are synonymous with groundbreaking storytelling and unforgettable moments. Many famous Hollywood stars were lucky to be in his movies and publicly admitted to it.

However, not every A-list actor was eager to team up with the acclaimed director. Sylvester Stallone, a Hollywood icon known for roles like Rocky and Rambo, surprisingly turned down not one, but two roles in Tarantino's films.

Quentin Tarantino, whose career skyrocketed in the mid 90s, approached Stallone with the roles in two of his films, released ten years apart — Jackie Brown (1997) and Death Proof (2007).

For Jackie Brown, he initially offered the actor the role of Louis Gara, the gun-loving tough guy, but Robert De Niro ended up taking that part. Then, for Death Proof, they considered Stallone for the character Mike McKay, a deranged stuntman who had a thing for offing women with rigged vehicles. This role was later played by Kurt Russell.

Stallone said no to the latter role for a surprising reason — he's a father. The violent and gruesome nature of the character's actions didn't sit right with him.

"There's no way. I have two daughters, and this fellow, his hobby is putting teenagers in his car and smashing them into a wall. That's not going to work," said Stallone in a 2012 interview with MacLeans.

Apart from these specific roles, Stallone and Tarantino had fundamental differences in their approach to violence in cinema. This divergence was evident in their discussions about the Rambo series.

Tarantino, known for his unapologetic portrayal of violence, criticized Stallone for not staying true to the original novel, written by David Morrell, where Rambo eventually met his tragic end. Stallone defended his decision, citing his desire to create sequels.

The possibility of a collaboration between the two excited many movie buffs. However, with Tarantino's announcement of retiring after his next film and the differences in their creative visions, this dream collaboration is doomed to remain elusive.

Now we can only speculate on the unique blend of Stallone's action-hero persona and Tarantino's storytelling genius that could have been.

Source: MacLeans