Quentin Tarantino names the one actor he would “give up five years of my life” to work with
When Quentin Tarantino made his debut feature, Reservoir Dogs, he was lucky enough to work with several actors that he considered some of his favourites, like frequent Martin Scorsese collaborator Harvey Keitel. With every movie, the director employs cinematic icons who have helped to inspire a love of film within him, such as Robert De Niro and modern-day stars such as Brad Pitt.
That’s the thing with Tarantino’s movies. No matter the genre, you can be safe in the knowledge that the cast will be great. Stacked with beloved names, from Uma Thurman to Leonardo DiCaprio, Tarantino’s work is always full of A-listers, many of whom he could only once dream of working with.
Tarantino has often shared his love for certain actors, which he considers a cut above the rest, once declaring his admiration for Nicolas Cage, telling Jim Hoberman, “I don’t think that I’ve ever seen another actor in the history of film that made a career of being miscast and rising to the occasion.”
The filmmaker is also a big fan of Tim Roth, who he has cast in several of his films, like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. He told the same interviewer that he admires Roth’s “versatility and ferociousness” as well as his “chameleon quality.”
While Tarantino has worked with most of his favourite actors, like Brad Pitt, Samuel L Jackson, and Michael Parks, there is one star that he once claimed he was so desperate to work with that he would be willing to “give up five years of my life” for the chance.
Tura Satana, best known for her leading role in Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, is one of Tarantino’s all time favourite actors – and his most favourite female star. The actor was born in Japan, but she moved to America as a child, where she formed a gang and learned how to fight. Satana had been the victim of a violent sexual attack as a child, and this spurred her on to become as strong and independent as possible. this mindset can be seen in some of her performances.
In Faster, Pussycat, she is brutal and domineering, yet she doesn’t ever compromise her femininity to be seen as such. Her iconic, compelling performance in the Russ Meyer exploitation film remains her most acclaimed role, and it’s one that Tarantino is a huge fan of.
In fact, Tarantino once tried to remake the film, but his plans never came to fruition. Still, he was reportedly in contact with Satana to rewrite the movie for a modern audience, with interesting casting ideas, such as Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears, in mind. This could’ve been interesting, but sadly, nothing happened.
Satana passed away in 2011, meaning Tarantino never got to work with the actor. However, she would’ve fit right into one of Tarantino’s exploitation cinema homages, such as Kill Bill or Death Proof. He told Entertainment Weekly, “As much as I want to live a long time – like, I want to live to 100 – I would give up five years of my life to work with Tura Satana. She is Japanese, Cheyenne, and something else – awesome.”
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