The MCU Actor Quentin Tarantino Regretted Casting in Reservoir Dogs While Being Drunk as a Skunk

In the world of Hollywood, certain mistakes turn out to be cinematic masterpieces. Adding to this was the legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who revealed in a past interview how Tim Roth landed his iconic role in his 1992 hit Reservoir Dogs.

What seemed like a perfect casting to the audience was, in reality, a major drunken mistake on the director’s part. But what seemed like a regret to him at the time actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for both the A-listers.

How Quentin Tarantino’s Drunken Casting of Tim Roth Resulted in a Cinematic Gem?

Both Quentin Tarantino and Tim Roth are legendary figures in their respective fields. But even before their career trajectories catapulted in Hollywood, the duo collaborated under rather unconventional circumstances. Roth’s iconic role as Mr. Orange in Tarantino’s directorial debut Reservoir Dogs (1992) was memorable.

However, how the actor actually landed the part involved a heavy night of drinking. The duo went out for drinks, and in an inebriated state, Tarantino offered Roth the role in his debut project. However, Tarantino later regretted the decision after watching the actor’s performance in Vincent & Theo. In a past interview, Tarantino added:

Tim and I go to a bar, The Coach And Horses on Sunset where he hangs out, and we’re drinking and drinking and we get ripped. I mean just smashed. It’s 2:00 in the morning now and we’re both ripped on our a**. Basically, in a drunken stupor I gave him the part. And then, after I gave him the part, I saw Vincent & Theo and I hated him in it. He was awful! He was the worst! Oh my God! What do I do? I gave him the part, I’ve got to be a man of my word, and…He was OK in [Reservoir Dogs].

While the director had several reservations about his casting, everything changed once the movie was released. The actor’s performance was not only appreciated but also led to the duo working together on several other projects. After his debut movie, Roth also appeared in Tarantino’s other masterpiece, Pulp Fiction (1994).

Although his role as Pumpkin was somewhat limited, he managed to leave a lasting impression on the audience. The movie was an instant hit at the box office, earning a staggering $213 million on an $8 million budget. Following this, the director-actor duo also collaborated on projects like Four Rooms (1995) and The Hateful Eight (2015).

Tim Roth’s Views on Quentin Tarantino Retiring After 10 Movies

Quentin Tarantino has always been a director focused on creating a limited number of high-quality films. He has mentioned in several past interviews that he plans to retire from filmmaking after making ten movies. Therefore, after his ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), it was inevitable that rumors began circulating about the director potentially retiring from directing.

While this ten-movie limit is Tarantino’s own self-imposed rule, his long-time collaborator Tim Roth has also weighed in on the matter, suggesting that Tarantino’s retirement from directing is indeed imminent. In a podcast, the actor mentioned:

He seems to be true to his word, I mean, when we’ve spoken about it. Basically, all of his actors are on standby. That’s just how it goes: if he calls, you’re up and you’re in; and not to be offended if you’re not. It’s just the gang. We’re all such a tight group, so we are very aware that it possibly is. Quentin has always said he didn’t want to just keep making films that got gradually worse as he got older.

While the buzz around the director’s 10th and final movie has been quite high, he seems to be very choosy about which project to work on. For the past couple of months, the media reported that The Movie Critic would be his final film.

The movie was supposed to star Brad Pitt as the lead, but as reported by Deadline, the director has dropped the project and will not be moving forward with it. Now only time will reveal which project the director will select for his final film.

You can watch Reservoir Dogs on Prime Video and Apple TV.