Acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino initially didn’t want Diane Kruger to star in his Oscar-winning 2009 World War II epic, Inglourious Basterds. In addition to being known as a filmmaker whose encyclopaedic film knowledge is second to none, Tarantino has also made a name for himself as someone who can turn an actor’s career around with a single role. While this isn’t always the case, there have been several examples over the years.
Arguably the biggest career life support that Tarantino has offered via his filmmaking was John Travolta’s return to form, thanks to a lead role in 1994’s Pulp Fiction. The Palme d’Or and Oscar-winning gangster film gave Travolta’s career a much needed boost throughout the latter half of the '90s after the one-time Saturday Night Fever heart-throb had been resigned to making films in the Look Who’s Talking franchise. Since then, Tarantino has literally put stars on the map, with Christoph Waltz getting his big break from the filmmaker, ultimately resulting in Waltz securing two Oscars after years of struggling to make it in Hollywood. But despite Tarantino’s ability to find the right actor for the part, sometimes even the best of the best get it wrong.
While speaking candidly on a recent episode of the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, Kruger revealed that Tarantino initially did not want to cast her as Bridget von Hammersmark in Inglourious Basterds. Apparently, Tarantino hadn’t been impressed by Kruger’s performance in an earlier film she’d been in, and this was enough for him to discount the German-born actress as a legitimate option. But as time passed, Tarantino found the process of casting a German-speaking actress in the role to be more than he’d bargained for and decided to give Kruger a chance. However, Tarantino certainly didn't make the process easy for the actress. As Kruger explains:
Like, even for Inglourious Basterds, right, like he auditioned everyone. He didn’t want to audition me because he saw a movie that I was in, he didn’t like. You know what I mean? So, he didn’t believe in me from the get go. And literally, the only reason he auditioned me is because there was no one left to audition, right? I had to fly my – pay for my own flight from New York to go to Germany, because he wouldn’t, even though – obviously he’s American – but he wouldn’t see me in the U.S., right, so like, I had to jump through all these hoops that definitely put my nose out of joint. But I was like, You know what? Fuck him. Like, I’m just gonna do that and prove him that I can do it, right? And thankfully it all worked out. But sometimes it just seems so unfair, right? And you’ve gotta change the narrative.
While Inglourious Basterds is filled with numerous award-worthy performances and plenty of laughs along the way as well, one of the best things about the film is Kruger’s performance. German actress turned spy for the allies, von Hammersmark takes part in what is easily one of Inglourious Basterds' most tense and engaging moments in a tiny pub, along with the film’s tremendous finale in a cinema filled to the brim with high-ranking Nazis. Tarantino’s initial decision not to give Kruger the opportunity to audition was the wrong move, but thankfully the situation was rectified after Kruger’s ambition took over.
Unfortunately, most stories where a director isn’t interested in a particular actor don’t tend to end as well. For all the acclaim that Tarantino has gained over the years, Kruger’s story proves that even the best of the best can and do make judgement errors. Fortunately for Kruger, she was finally given the opportunity to audition and without her, Inglourious Basterds certainly wouldn’t have been the same film.
Source: Reign with Josh Smith