Actor Mélanie Laurent’s performance in director Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 war film, Inglourious Basterds, was indeed a treat to watch. However, convincing Tarantino to hire her was a tough job for Laurent. In a past interview, the actress revealed that she had to convince Tarantino that she was not famous, making her fit for the role.
Laurent’s character in the film, Shosanna Dreyfus, was supposed to be an assassin who had a list of Nazis she would cross off as she killed, however, Tarantino decided to tweak the character, making her the French Jewish cinema owner. Tarantino believed that this character had a lot of potential so many attributes of this character were then applied to The Bride from Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
Mélanie Laurent had to convince Quentin Tarantino that she was not famous so he hired her
As per All The Right Movies, director Quentin Tarantino met actress Mélanie Laurent three times before hiring her for the role of Shosanna Dreyfus in his 2009 war film, Inglourious Basterds. The director was unsure because he wanted someone who was not famous. However, Laurent wasn’t ready to give up as she tried to convince Tarantino that she was indeed her woman. The director reportedly said, “There’s just something I don’t like… you’re famous, and I’m wanting to discover somebody.” Laurent then replied, “No, no, no. … I’m not famous.”
After this conversation, the actress was offered the role of Shosanna Dreyfus, a 23-year-old French Jewish cinema owner whose family was executed by Landa when she was 18 years old. Upon release, Laurent’s performance was praised by fans all over the world.
Mélanie Laurent’s character was changed
Initially, Laurent’s character was supposed to be an assassin who had a list of Nazis she would cross off as she killed, whom Tarantino described as a Jewish Joan of Arc. However, the director decided to change the character, making Shosanna Dreyfus a cinema owner. To prepare for the role, Laurent reportedly worked as a projectionist for a few weeks at Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema and even screened Reservoir Dogs.
Tarantino was not ready to let go of the original Shosanna Dreyfus, so he decided to implement this idea on another character: The Bride from Kill Bill franchise. In the franchise, Uma Thurman plays the Bride who is a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
