Samuel L. Jackson Says Quentin Tarantino Should Release Brutal Django Unchained Director’s Cut

Samuel L. Jackson Says Quentin Tarantino Should Release Brutal Django Unchained Director's Cut

As a devoted fan of Quentin Tarantino’s masterpieces and having had the privilege to witness Samuel L. Jackson‘s electrifying performance as Stephen in Django Unchained, I can’t help but echo his call for the release of the Director’s Cut. The scenes that were cut, particularly the one where my character tests the power dynamic between me and Django, would have added a depth and intensity that the final cut lacked.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson has expressed his desire for filmmaker Quentin Tarantino to make public an extended version of “Django Unchained.” Over the years, these two artists have collaborated since their work on “Pulp Fiction,” and Jackson often graced Tarantino’s roster of trusted performers. In “Django Unchained,” Jackson embodied his most detestable character yet, Stephen, a ruthless house slave under the ownership of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). As he climbed the ranks to the “Big House,” Stephen was shocked to see Django (Jamie Foxx) arrive at the plantation as a freed man. The released version of the film includes one or two instances where Stephen torments Django, both verbally and physically. However, according to Samuel L. Jackson, more brutal scenes were also filmed.

According to Jackson’s interview with GQ, he shared some discarded sequences from “Django Unchained.” The actor mentioned that a number of offensive scenes featuring his character were left out of the final cut. In particular, Jackson reminisced about a scene where his character, Stephen, and Django tested their power dynamics against each other. He elaborated:

In a confrontation at our home, I escorted Christoph [Waltz] to his room, following which I brought Django into the same room and said, “Feel free to do as you wish here, for we’re planning to destroy everything anyway.” And he struck me. This scene involved him slapping me hard, threatening to disrobe me completely and whip me mercilessly across the plantation. Such was the tense dynamic between us.

Samuel L. Jackson mentioned that a significant portion of “Django Unchained” was improvised during rehearsals. The actor didn’t specify the number of scenes left out in the final version of the film, but he expressed his hope that director Quentin Tarantino might exceptionally share the extended scenes and release an Extended or Director’s Cut of the movie. He stated this in these words:

“I always thought he was gonna put a director’s cut out and keep it. Because we did shoot it.”

The Deleted Scene Would Have Enriched Another Scene in Django Unchained

Samuel L. Jackson Says Quentin Tarantino Should Release Brutal Django Unchained Director's Cut

Samuel L. Jackson shared that an extended version of a scene was initially filmed, which would have expanded upon a later sequence in the movie. After Django is apprehended by Calvin Candie’s men and left hanging upside-down to be beaten before interrogation by Stephen, Jackson mentioned there was a more expansive take based on the previously removed scene. He elaborated:

Later in our encounter, when he finds himself suspended from a barn upside down, I had prepared a passionate speech that I never got to say. It was meant to express my years of experience on this plantation and the atrocities I’ve witnessed inflicted upon fellow slaves. I made it clear that no one would lay a hand on me, and then I took a hot poker to burn parts of his body.

The two scenes described by Samuel L. Jackson are among a dozen reported scenes that were cut from Django Unchained. Given Tarantino’s penchant for letting his actors spew natural dialogue during the scenes, leading to some lengthy run times, it’s hard to fathom how long a director’s cut of Django Unchained could be.

Django Unchained
is currently streaming on Starz.

2024-09-27 14:31

The Deleted Scene Would Have Enriched Another Scene in Django Unchained

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