The only actor who refused to audition for ‘Pulp Fiction’ in 1994. One brutal scene put him off

Max Julien declined the chance to audition for Marsellus Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, apparently because one scene conflicted with the image his fans had of him. The decision left the role open to Ving Rhames, whose performance brought vulnerability as well as menace to the crime boss and became part of the film’s celebrated ensemble.

Samuel L Jackson recalled that Julien, known for The Mack, did not want to appear in the sequence involving Wallace, Butch Coolidge and the gimp. Rhames said the role appealed to him because he rarely had the opportunity to play vulnerable characters. Other actors also turned down or were considered for parts, including Laurence Fishburne, who declined the role of Jules Winnfield, later played by Jackson.