John Travolta, who plays Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction,reflects on the movie’s impact on his career.Pulp Fictioncelebrated its 30th anniversary on July 08, 2025. The cult classic crime movierevived Travolta’s careerwhile paving the way to stardom for Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman.
Reflecting on Tarantino’s decision to cast him in the lead role, Travolta toldVarietythe offer back then was “certainly a next level, upper echelon opportunity more along the lines of the Oscar nomination-type performance.” His last big role beforePulpwas inLook Who’s Talking, andTarantino’s offer “raised the bar” for him with “a second chance at a high-end career.” Travolta revealed that he was “one of” the director’s “favorite actors growing up” and may have something to do with Tarantino’s love for “Pauline Kael.” Check out what Travolta said:
The last success [I’d experienced] before ‘Pulp Fiction’ was the ‘Look Who’s Talking’ films, so getting the ‘Pulp’ offer was certainly a next-level, upper echelon opportunity more along the lines of the Oscar nomination-type performance of ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Blow Out’ integrity.
I was one of his favorite actors growing up on ‘Welcome Back Kotter,’ ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ ‘Grease’ and ‘Blow Out,’ and he wanted to work with me. I think it helped his being a big Pauline Kael fan, and my being one of her favorite actors, so he raised the bar for me and gave me a second chance at a high-end career, one that he always wanted me to have."
What Travolta’s Comment Means For Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction Revived His Career
Travolta’s career received an upswing after starring inLook Who’s Talkingand the two follow-up sequels. However, he didn’t star in any significant movies afterward. In his comment,Travolta acknowledged that the critically acclaimedPulp Fictionmay have saved his career. He was grateful that Tarantino came to him for the role.
Pulp Fiction In Chronological Order
Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction is broken up into seven episodes, but what exactly is the chronological order of these episodes?
Pulp Fictiongave Travolta an opportunity to progress further. Without it, it might have taken years for Travolta to receive a project like that, if ever. The actor wouldn’t have achieved the same level of fame he has today without starring inthe cult classicPulp Fiction.Afterward, Travolta went on to star in movies likeGet Shorty, Face/Off, andPrimary Colors.The Tarantino film turned out to be a career-defining moment for him,which the star confirmed in his comments.
Our Take On John Travolta’s Performance In Pulp Fiction
He’ll Always Be Vincent Vega
John Travolta is Vincent, and Vincent is John Travolta, just like Uma Thurman will always be the mobster’s wife. Interestingly,the role of Vincent was originally written for Michael Madsen. Due to Madsen’s scheduling conflict, the role later went to Travolta, which, in retrospect, was a gain for the movie. Travolta is part ofwhat makesPulp Fictionan iconic movieand one of the best ever made.
It’s true thatVincent is a terrible hitman, who’s incompetent at his job. He spent two years in Europe, and the biggest takeaway was where to buy beer, which says everything you need to know about the character. WhileVincent might be the greatest screw-up in the film, Travolta succeededin failing.Pulp Fictionmade Travolta a star, and was ultimately nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Vincent.
