Jamie Foxx, the lead actor in Quentin Tarantino‘s “Django Unchained,” revealed a heated moment with the director on the film set in a recent interview with Howard Stern.
Jamie Foxx talks about the time Quentin Tarantino freaked out on him while reading the script for “Django Unchained”
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Foxx recalled the first day on set when the cast and crew gathered for a script reading led by a passionate Tarantino. As Tarantino reaches the scene where Django kills the enslaver, he completely loses his cool. According to Foxx, Tarantino started screaming and cursing and even threw the script across the room. Foxx was left wondering, “What the hell is going on?”
While Tarantino hasn’t commented on Foxx‘s story, his passion for filmmaking is well-known. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said,
“I make movies because I love them. I love the process of making them. I love the challenge of making them. And I love feeling accomplished when I’m finished with one.”
His dedication is evident in his filmmaking achievements, including two Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and his films grossing over $4 billion worldwide.
Tarantino’s script was gospel—no room for improvisation, no poetic liberties. Foxx, accustomed to bending notes and breaking molds, found himself shackled to the words. “Not with this director,” he declares, a grin tugging at his lips. “The first day of rehearsal, I’m reading my lines like [insert gibberish with bravado] , and he says, ‘Cut, can I talk to you for a second?’
The door closes, and Tarantino leans in. “Uhhh, what the fuck is that?! I knew I was going to have this problem. Listen, all of this shit—you have to be a fucking enslaved person! Okay? He’s enslaved! He doesn’t know how to read. You come in with your fucking Louis bag and your fucking Range Rover, and you’re just ‘I’m so fucking… you’re not Jim Brown!’
But there’s more. Amidst the sweltering Southern sun, Foxx glimpsed a phantom—a black horseman galloping toward the camera. It haunted him, this spectral rider. “My idea,” Foxx whispers, “was that Jamie Foxx, through the movie, had a vision. A vision of a horseman. A vision of a legacy. A vision of defiance.”
And Tarantino? He shut it down. The original Django actor’s dream was drowned in the river of Tarantino’s unwavering vision. Yet, perhaps that’s the magic—the collision of wills, the clash of creativity, and the birth of a film that sears itself into our collective memory.
So, there they stood—Foxx and Tarantino—on the edge of that metaphorical cliff. The abyss yawned, and the film hung in the balance. As the cameras rolled, Django rode forth, not just as an enslaved person but as a symbol of resilience, rebellion, and redemption.
“Off the cliff we went,” Foxx chuckles. “And damn, it was glorious.”
This story highlights Tarantino’s demanding approach and focus on staying true to the characters and story. It leaves us wondering, did this explosive moment ultimately benefit the film? Only time will tell. Stay tuned for more updates on this intriguing story.
