Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has revealed that actresses Melanie Laurent and Isabelle Huppert were initially fired from his 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, sharing details about the casting challenges and behind-the-scenes decisions during the making of the World War II drama, according to People.
Tarantino talks about Inglourious Basterds
In his book The Making of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds by Jay Glennie, released on November 10, Tarantino recalled how Huppert, who was cast as Madame Ada Mimieux, lost her role after failing to attend the film's table read amid contractual issues.
"She didn’t show up, so....I fired her. I mean, I love Isabelle Huppert — 'Heaven’s Gate' and all that — but there were issues with her contract. It just kept stalling. And then not coming to the table read. Well, we cast Maggie Cheung instead," Tarantino said.
Explaining the importance of table reads in his filmmaking process, the director said, "That invariably happens. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re cast and you are not at that table, I don’t owe you jack...You can be fired, especially if I get excited by what somebody else did in your absence," according to People.
Huppert was eventually replaced by Maggie Cheung, who filmed scenes for the movie. However, her sequence was later removed from the final cut. "Maggie was fantastic in the movie, but you just didn’t need to know how Shosanna acquired the cinema. All we needed was a title card saying ‘Four Years Later’ and Shosanna explaining that she inherited it from her aunt," Tarantino explained.
Why Tarantino fired Melanie Laurent
{{/usCountry}}Huppert was eventually replaced by Maggie Cheung, who filmed scenes for the movie. However, her sequence was later removed from the final cut. "Maggie was fantastic in the movie, but you just didn’t need to know how Shosanna acquired the cinema. All we needed was a title card saying ‘Four Years Later’ and Shosanna explaining that she inherited it from her aunt," Tarantino explained.
Why Tarantino fired Melanie Laurent
{{/usCountry}}The filmmaker also recalled initially firing Mélanie Laurent, who played Shosanna Dreyfus, after being disappointed with her performance during the table read. "Mélanie Laurent’s table read was terrible," Tarantino said, adding that "it wasn’t good enough to be terrible."
Describing the significance of the table read in his creative process, he said, "The one day, the most exciting day of preproduction is for me the table read. That is the closest I get to seeing the movie for the first time."
He further explained that the table read was an important opportunity to experience the screenplay with the entire cast after spending considerable time reading the scenes himself. "Well, Mélanie was terrible, so I fired her," he added.
However, Laurent was determined to reclaim her role and personally reached out to the filmmaker, explaining that she had not been feeling well during the table read. She also assured him that she would travel to Germany and wait until he agreed to meet her again. "I will fly myself to Germany and put myself up into a hotel. I know you’re busy, but I will wait until you see me again," Laurent told Tarantino.
Impressed by her determination, Tarantino reconsidered his decision and agreed to give her another opportunity. However, he asked the actress to attend three days of rehearsals before making a final decision about whether she was the right choice for Shosanna Dreyfus.
Laurent eventually convinced the filmmaker and retained her role in the film, earning critical appreciation for her performance. "Let me just go on the record for everybody to know: I love Mélanie," Tarantino said.
Reflecting on why he decided to share the episode in the book, the filmmaker said that Laurent's performance ultimately made her his definitive choice for the character. "The fact of the matter is, if we were not talking about the making of Inglourious Basterds, I would never think about the table read again for the simple reason Melanie is my Shosanna. She did a wonderful job," he said, as per the outlet.
Tarantino on casting
Tarantino also spoke about his approach to casting and explained that he does not hesitate to replace actors if he believes they are not suitable for the characters in his films. "I have no moral compass when it comes to giving roles to actors: They have to be right. They have to feel like they are right for the world I have created," he said, according to People.
"I have fired actors in the past. If it’s not right, it is not right. I don’t owe them s---. I owe my film the best actors I can find. Period," he added.
About Inglourious Basterds
‘Inglourious Basterds’, an alternate-history war drama, follows two parallel attempts to assassinate Nazi leadership in Paris during World War II. The film featured Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender and Diane Kruger alongside Laurent, according to People.