Sylvester Stallone is one of the most acclaimed actors in the industry. He is widely celebrated for his roles in Rocky, Rambo, The Expendables, and the recent series, Tulsa King. While the Golden Globe winner is known for his diverse roles, fans are unaware that he ended up turning down two Quentin Tarantino films. So, which two Tarantino movies were rejected by Sylvester Stallone?
Here is everything you need to know about the Kill Bill director’s movies rejected by Stallone.
Here are the two Quentin Tarantino movies Sylvester Stallone rejected and why
Sylvester Stallone had turned Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown and Death Proof.
In his 2012 interview with Maclean’s magazine, the Rocky actor revealed that he was offered two films by Quentin Tarantino. The first film was the crime thriller Jackie Brown. He was approached to play the role of a small-time thug and former convict named Louis Gara. Stallone ended up rejecting the role without revealing the exact reason. Following Stallone’s rejection, Louis Gara’s role was eventually taken over by Robert De Niro.
After years, Tarantino went back to Stallone with another movie offer, and this time, the role was bigger. It was none other than the central character of Stuntman Mike McKay in the horror action drama, Death Proof. However, he ended up rejecting this role as well. Stallone revealed in the above-mentioned interview that the ruthless and misogynist character of Stuntman Mike did not sit well with him. As fans are aware, Mike’s character focused on brutally murdering young women. These character traits did not really please Stallone, as he stated:
“The [Robert] De Niro part [of Louis Gara] in Jackie Brown. And Grindhouse, the part Kurt Russell did [in Death Proof] — I said, ‘There’s no way. I have two daughters, and this fellow, his hobby is putting teenagers in his car and smashing them into a wall. That’s not going to work.”
After Stallone’s rejection, Stuntman Mike was eventually played by Kurt Russell. While the duo didn’t work together on the above-mentioned movies, it will be interesting to see if Sylvester Stallone and Quentin Tarantino end up collaborating in the future.
