Quentin Tarantino helped Samuel L. Jackson land a role in one of the best film adaptations of a Stephen King book

Quentin Tarantino has always been famous for his selectivity regarding his dream team: the director, who decided not to spread his talent over dozens of films and limited himself to just ten, confidently cast new roles in the actors he had already worked with.

Over the years, as Tarantino created several collaborative projects with Samuel L. Jackson, the director came to trust his colleague and friend so much that he even got him a successful role with another director.

Quentin Tarantino Helped Samuel L. Jackson Land a Role in One of the Best Stephen King Book Adaptations – Image 1

As Mikael Hofström, who directed the 2007 thriller ‘1408’ based on the Stephen King story of the same name, admitted in one of his interviews, they were initially looking for a completely different actor for the role of hotel manager Gerald Olin, but the character was ultimately played by Jackson.

According to the director, the script described Olin as a balding white man, but Tarantino, who had read the script at the time, advised Hofstrom to cast Jackson in the role, even though he did not fit the physical description of the character at all.

As a result, Hofström nevertheless made changes to the script, deciding that since Tarantino had absolute confidence in Jackson’s ability to play the part, it should be so.

“1408” centers on writer Mike Enslin, who investigates haunted houses and decides to book the mysterious hotel room from 1408 in New York City to see if it really is haunted. The film was a box office success with a budget of $25 million grossed $132 million at the worldwide box office.