Quentin Tarantino explains how Jules and Vincent from PULP FICTION are like children

Samuel L.Jackson’s Jules e John Travolta’s Vincent from Quentin Tarantino’St pulp Fiction they’re a couple of incredibly funny movie characters. Some of the most memorable the director has ever presented to audiences. I think they are two of the most referenced characters in all of Tarantino’s films.

Jules and Vincent are such fun and playful personalities, at the same time they have no problem being criminals and killing people. During a past interview with Film Comment, Tarantino explained what he was trying to do with these characters and likened them to children. He explained:

“That’s a motif that runs through all these gangster kids. Jules [Sam Jackson] has the line in “Pulp Fiction,” “Let’s get into character.” I’m a cross between criminals, actors and children playing roles.”

This explains so much about these two characters! They don’t really act like hitmen, they act like kids playing the roles of hitmen! It’s kind of interesting what Tarantino was doing with these characters, and it makes sense why they’re relatable. When you watch the movie again and hear their conversations, like the one about cheeseburgers, and how they handle and react to the crazy situations they find themselves in. Tarantino went on to explain:

“If you’ve ever seen kids play — three kids playing Starsky and Hutch interrogating a prisoner — you’re likely going to see more real, honest moments happen than you’d ever see on that show, because those kids would be so into it. he points his finger at it like it’s a gun, he’s not kidding, it’s a gun where it’s from.”

This wasn’t something Tarantino consciously planned, it’s something he accomplished in the process. He said:

“It was never a conscious decision, to play on the idea that big men are actually little boys with real guns, but it kept coming up and I realized as I was writing ‘Pulp,’ that it really fit.”

Then, of course, you have the Marsellus Wallace characters (Ving Rhames) and The Wolf (Harvey Keitel), who are both like father figures to Jules and Vincent, caring for them and helping them when they find themselves in their difficult situations. Tarantino went on to explain:

“You can even make the analogy with the scene with Jules and Vincent at the Jimmy [Quentin Tarantino]they are at home, they are afraid that their mom will come home. You spilled shit on the carpet. Clean up the mess you made messing around before your mom gets home.”

While I’ve always recognized Jules and Vincent as a pair of goofy goons, until now I’ve never seen them act like children, and now I can watch and enjoy this film in a whole new light.