Summary

• Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel commend Pulp Fiction for its impact on cinema and their careers, praising Tarantino's talent and direction.
• John Travolta gives credit to Quentin Tarantino for reigniting his career with the iconic role of Vincent Vega, highlighting the film's lasting legacy.
• Samuel L. Jackson reflects on the significant boost Pulp Fiction gave to his career, acknowledging the film's role in shaping his perception as an actor.

The Pulp Fiction cast has reunited to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary. Released in 1994, Pulp Fiction is the second feature film by acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino. The dark crime comedy featured a star-studded leading cast including John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, and Amanda Plummer.

Per Variety, the Pulp Fiction cast explains the film’s impact on their careers and lauds its legacy. Thurman, Jackson, Travolta, and Keitel joined together on stage for a 30th anniversary screening of the film. Thurman said that it “changed cinema” and “every filmmaker [she] has met since.” Keitel elaborated that Tarantino’s “aesthetic force was so powerful that it had the power to change your direction.” Jackson and Travolta both discussed how much of an impact Pulp Fiction had on their careers, with Jackson saying “it changed [his] life.” Check out the quotes from the actors below:

Thurman: It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in. I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.

Keitel: Quentin is one of those talents that changed the environment that we were working in with his huge talent. His aesthetic force was so powerful that it had the power to change your direction, and we’re all here tonight for the same reason: we respect the art and the artist. God knows our country needs it now because of what’s going on in it.

It reminds me of the MAGA hats. I keep thinking, I’m a MAGA fan. ‘It’s just that Trump didn’t know how to spell underneath it, ‘vote democratic.

Travolta: I had a great first chapter, and I was desperately looking for a second one. And [Quentin] took me to the moon and back. After that, it was mind-boggling, the opportunities that came my way. I mean, an actor can only fantasize about what happened after that for me. It was next level.

Jackson: I was floating along and doing well, and this film was a great boost to me, just working and doing it through the work.

It changed my life drastically in that this was the particular role where all of a sudden people started thinking I was the coolest mother f*cker on the planet.

Why Pulp Fiction Is Still So Iconic Today

Tarantino Changed The Film Landscape

Thurman is right to say that Pulp Fiction “changed cinema.” While it was not the first film to use this tactic, Pulp Fiction can be attributed with helping popularize non-linear storytelling. Rather than a typical cause-and-effect narrative, the film is told in multiple sections. The timelines of those sections do not play out chronologically in Pulp Fiction; for example, Travolta’s character is killed off in the Butch section and then later is seen, back in time, for the ending segment with Pumpkin and Honey Bunny. The success of this style helped open other filmmakers up to more storytelling structures, impacting film today.

Pulp Fiction also holds a pivotal place in Travolta’s career, which can still be appreciated by those who followed the actor before the Tarantino film. For a while, Travolta was a sought-after actor, playing lead roles in movies such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever. Then, his career hit a sluggish point for a while. Pulp Fiction helped pull Travolta out of hiding, and it did so with the stylized dialogue of Vincent Vega, a part that is now considered one of the actor’s most iconic roles.

Exampled by Travolta, part of what makes Pulp Fiction hold up today is that everyone in the film is giving a peak performance. This includes everything from Tarantino’s writing and directing to the acting performances in the film. One cannot take their eyes away from Willis’ Butch, a man of few words. Jackson’s Jules gives a driving energy throughout the film, as he delivers iconic lines about hamburgers and more. The Pulp Fiction cast recognizes its lasting greatness, and it's a powerful legacy understood by audiences as well.

Pulp Fiction is available to stream on Max.

Source: Variety