Johnny Depp was director Quentin Tarantino’s second-best choice for the role of Pumpkin after Tim Roth in Pulp Fiction!

Oh, what a world it would have been if veteran actor Johnny Depp had worked with another iconic director Quentin Tarantino in one of his most famous projects. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in the main lead, Tarantino created the iconic 1994 movie Pulp Fiction.

In the film, the role of Pumpkin went to Tim Roth. According to recent reports, however, Tarantino had made a backup plan if Tom Roth had refused. In the list of actors to play the role of Pumpkin, Johnny Depp was a strong second contender and the world would have surely loved him in that role!

Johnny Depp Could Have Worked With Quentin Tarantino!

It is no doubt that Tim Roth’s performance as Pumpkin was an iconic one. Playing an erratic lover who decides to rob a restaurant with his brilliant ideology, the plan ultimately failed but Roth became famous for his role in Pulp Fiction. 

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean
As per a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), the list of actors that Tarantino had in mind, was revealed. In that list, the director had mentioned that the role of Pumpkin was made with Tim Roth in mind. But just beneath Roth’s name, the name of Johnny Depp was written as the next best choice if Roth were to refuse.

Quentin Tarantino's actor wish list for the roles in Pulp Fiction (1994) pic.twitter.com/0lbikoebQQ

— Emir Han (@RealEmirHan) March 16, 2024

And upon a little bit more inspection, the name of Nick Cage aka Nicolas Cage can also be seen for the role of Pumpkin. So it would have been something iconic to see either Johnny Depp or Nick Cage don the role of Pumpkin. After all the dealings, Tarantino got what he wanted when Tim Roth joined the film as Pumpkin. However, his every other choice had to be done with the next best option.

Quentin Tarantino Talked About The Potential Casting of Johnny Depp

Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction
Well, it seems that the world would have indeed loved to see Johnny Depp in the role of Pumpkin but Quentin Tarantino… not so much. During the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, Tarantino talked about the potential casting of Depp and how it would have made no difference to the box office numbers!

“Do you think Johnny Depp playing the role of Pumpkin in this movie, which is the opening scene and the closing scene, that’s it, do you think that will add that much to the box office?”
In the end, the iconic 1994 film received a rating of 8.9/10 on IMDB and a whopping 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Besides the rating, the film became an iconic film that has been revered for almost three decades. Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction is available to stream on Max in the U.S.