Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 Nazi revenge film Inglourious Basterds had as much drama behind the scenes as it did on screen, and one of its breakout stars almost didn’t make the cut.
Mélanie Laurent, who played vengeful cinema owner Shosanna Dreyfus, was fired before cameras ever rolled, Tarantino reveals in Jay Glennie’s new book, The Making of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The reason? Her table read.
For Tarantino, that first read-through is sacred. He called it “the most exciting day of preproduction,” since it’s the closest he gets to seeing the movie for the first time, Variety reports. Laurent’s reading didn’t live up to the moment.
“Mélanie Laurent’s table read was terrible. It wasn’t good enough to be terrible,” Tarantino said. (Ouch). “Well, Mélanie was terrible, so I fired her,” he said bluntly. He explained that the reading is one of his favorite and most important moments of preproduction.
But the French actress refused to walk away. Days later, she called Tarantino herself, explaining that she hadn’t been feeling well and offering to fly to Germany, book her own hotel and wait until he agreed to see her again, according to PEOPLE. Moved by her determination, the director agreed to start fresh on one condition: three days of rehearsal. By the end, Shosanna was hers again.
Not everyone got a second chance. Isabelle Huppert, originally cast as Madame Ada Mimieux, skipped the table read amid stalled contract negotiations, so Tarantino replaced her with Maggie Cheung. In the end, Cheung’s scenes were cut from the movie entirely.
Laurent’s persistence paid off. Inglourious Basterds earned $321 million worldwide, and her performance drew rave reviews and critics’ honors. She has since stepped behind the camera herself, directing films including Galveston and The Mad Women’s Ball.
Tarantino insists there are no hard feelings. “Let me just go on the record for everybody to know: I love Mélanie,” he said, later adding that she is “my Shosanna.”
It’s proof that in Hollywood, a bad first impression doesn’t have to be the last word, especially if you’re willing to get on a plane to prove it.
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