Pulp Fiction Trivia: 8 Fun Facts About The Tarantino Classic

Considered to be one of the greatest movies of all time, and certainly most people’s favourite Tarantino flick, Pulp Fiction has captivated film lovers since its release in 1994. To this day, it’s one of the most quotable movies in film history. Here are 9 pieces of Pulp Fiction trivia…

1) The adrenaline shot scene was filmed in reverse

One of the tensest scenes in Pulp Fiction is the one where Vincent has to administer an adrenaline shot to an overdosed Mia. Because the shot needs to be jabbed into Mia’s chest with a lot of force, the decision was taken to film the scene backwards, so that the actress didn’t get injured, and so that John Travolta wouldn’t ‘pull his punch’. The syringe starts off sticking out of Uma Thurman’s chest, and John Travolta rips it out quickly. The footage was then reversed.

2) Tarantino’s car was stolen

The red convertible you see Vincent Vega driving around in the film is a Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu that actually belonged to Quentin Tarantino. The car was stolen during the production of the movie. It took a very long time to resurface. It was 2013 when a cop noticed some teenagers stripping the car for parts. He arrested them and ran the car through the system, and was amazed to discover it belonged to Tarantino and had been stolen almost 20 years ago.

3) Julia Louis Dreyfus was considered for the role of Mia Wallace

Whilst lots of actresses were considered for the film’s most prominent female role – that of mob boss’ wife Mia Wallace – the most intriguing casting possibility was Julia Louis Dreyfus. She couldn’t take the role because of her commitment to playing Elaine in hit comedy Seinfeld.

Uma Thurman was reluctant to take the role, but Tarantino was so sure she was right for it, that he read her the entire script over the phone.

4) Bad mother f*cker

The iconic wallet that Jules has Pumpkin dig out of the trash bag at the end of the film actually belongs to Tarantino. The ‘Bad mother f*cker’ lettering stitched into it is a reference to the theme song of Shaft. Of course, Samuel L Jackson went on to star as John Shaft in the 1999 movie and its 2019 sequel.

5) Bad things happen when Vincent Vega goes to the toilet

Vincent Vega visits the bathroom three times in the movie. Each time, something bad happens. The first time, he returns to find Mia has overdosed. The second time, he gets shot by Butch. The third time, he returns from the toilet to find the restaurant is being held up by romancing criminals Pumpkin and Honey Bunny.

6) Zed’s dead, baby

Chronologically, the last scene in the film is the one where Butch picks up Fabienne on Zed’s motorcycle. (Zed’s dead, baby, Zed’s dead!) They then ride off down the road to get out of town, following Marcellus Wallace’s instruction to get out of L.A. and never come back. Interestingly, you can hear the rumbling of a motorcycle at the very start of the film, before Pumpkin and Honey Bunny start to speak.

7) Does Jules appear in Kill Bill Vol. 2?

After the incident where a guy unloads a gun at Jules and Vincent without landing a single bullet, which Jules describes as ‘divine intervention,’ he announces that he’s retiring from his life of crime so that he can ‘walk the earth.’ Essentially, he’s going to become a drifter. In Kill Bill Vol 2, during the wedding rehearsal scene, Samuel L Jackson pops up as a piano playing drifter. Could this be Jules? After all, we know most Tarantino films share a universe. Vincent Vega is the brother of Reservoir Dog’s Vic Vega, after all, who was played by Michael Madsen.

8) Robert Rodriguez directed some of the film

Quentin Tarantino has small roles in several of his movies – from Reservoir Dogs to Django Unchained – and Pulp Fiction is no different. He plays Jimmy, an associate of Jules, who reluctantly houses Vincent and Jules after Marvin’s head explodes in the back of their car. During the scenes where Tarantino is playing Jimmy, an uncredited Robert Rodriguez slipped into the director’s chair. Rodriguez and Tarantino would go on to work together on Four Rooms, From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City and Grindhouse.

9) Marcellus Wallace’s band aid

Have you ever wondered what the significance of the band aid is on the back of Marcellus Wallace’s head? Well, its presence is really quite simple. When actor Ving Rhymes was shaving his head in preparation for the role, he cut the back of his head, so he stuck a band aid on it. Tarantino liked the look of it, though, and insisted that it stayed. He even changed the shot where Marcellus is talking to Butch so that the camera is on the back of Marcellus’ head the whole time.

There you have it – 9 things you probably didn’t know about Pulp Fiction!