Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson is an African-American actor whose first official credit was in the 1972 independent Blaxploitation film Together for Days, which helped suit him for the role of Jules Winnfield, a character who is himself an homage to the golden age of Blaxploitation filmmaking. The year before Pulp Fiction was released, Jackson appeared in Tony Scott's True Romance, also based on a script by Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. Jackson's performance as Jules, especially his recitation of Ezekiel 25:17 and his final monologue in the diner, has become one of the most enduring and iconic legacies of Pulp Fiction.
John Travolta
John Travolta is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his iconic performances in the late 1970s musicals Saturday Night Fever and Grease. Travolta began his career as a television actor in the series Welcome Back Kotter, and was in the midst of a professional downswing at the time that he was cast in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino chose to cast Travolta in part because his star image would likely remind audiences of his 1970s heyday, a period of time from which the film draws heavy inspiration. For his role as Vincent Vega, John Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis was the biggest star attached to Pulp Fiction, best known for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard series. His involvement in the project helped Tarantino secure funding for the film. Tarantino cast Willis because he resembled a specific kind of manly, gruff anti-hero common to many 1950s B-films, specifically Ralph Meeks in Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly. Willis lowered his usual salary to be a part of the film, but wound up receiving much more than he initially bargained for after the film became a runaway success.
Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman is an American actress who, although not well known at the time of Pulp Fiction's release, had already worked with several major directors, such as Philip Kaufman, John McNaughton, and Gus van Sant. Thurman's image as Mia Wallace, reclining on a bed and smoking cigarette, dominated the promotional materials for Pulp Fiction. After Pulp Fiction, Thurman became a kind of muse for Quentin Tarantino, who went on to cast her in the central role of The Bride in his two-part revenge epic Kill Bill.
Ving Rhames
Ving Rhames is an American actor who had already appeared in over a dozen films when he was cast in the key role of Marsellus Wallace. According to Pulp Fiction's producer, Lawrence Bender, Ving Rhames gave "one of the best auditions I've ever seen," when he read for the part in front of Tarantino, Bender, and others. Pulp Fiction helped propel Rhames into roles in other major action films, such Brian DePalma's Mission: Impossible, Simon West's Con-Air, and Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight.
Tim Roth
Tim Roth is a British actor whose debut role was a skinhead in the 1982 made-for-TV film Made in Britain. He built his career in the 1980s while working with several of England's top directors, including Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, and Peter Greenaway. Along with other powerhouse actors like Gary Oldman, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Colin Firth, Tim Roth was part of a group that became known as the "Brit Pack." Roth previously worked with Tarantino on Reservoir Dogs, playing Mr. Orange, before being cast as Pumpkin in Pulp Fiction.
Amanda Plummer
Amanda Plummer is an American actress whose earliest major role was Ellen James in George Roy Hill's 1982 film The World According to Garp. Before being cast in Pulp Fiction, she had recently starred in Terry Gilliam's 1991 fantasy epic The Fisher King, for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American actor with a career that spans over six decades, beginning in the 1950s with television and theater roles. Walken worked with many of Hollywood's most successful and well-known directors in the 1970s and 1980s, including Sidney Lumet, Paul Mazursky, Woody Allen, Michael Cimino, Jonathan Demme, Robert Redford, David Cronenberg, and Mike Nichols. Walken's performance as Captain Koons was credited as a cameo, and did not receive the same billing as the other actors in the film.
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor who was known for playing mobster and "tough guy" roles from the late 1970s onward, working with directors like Paul Schrader, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Abel Ferrara. Quentin Tarantino has stated that Keitel was his favorite actor growing up. In the years immediately preceding Pulp Fiction, Keitel played gangsters in films like Bugsy and Sister Act, making him a natural choice for the gangster-par-excellence Winston Wolfe.
Maria de Medeiros
Maria de Medeiros is a Portuguese actress who has acted in both European and American film productions. Along with Uma Thurman, Medeiros co-starred in Philip Kaufman's Henry and June, playing the role of Anais Nin. Tarantino met Medeiros while attending European film festivals following the release of Reservoir Dogs. Immediately before being cast in Pulp Fiction, Medeiros starred in the 1993 Spanish film Golden Balls, opposite Javier Bardem.
