Inglourious Basterds: Waltz Walked In and Saved the Film.

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Donny Donowitz and Aldo Raine standing over a prisoner in the forest in Inglourious Basterds.

Quentin Tarantino first drafted Inglourious Basterds in the late 1990s. He set it aside for Kill Bill. He picked it up again. He set it aside for Death Proof. Through all of it, one problem stayed: who could play Hans Landa.

Tarantino called Landa one of the greatest characters he had ever written. He went to Berlin and held an open audition. Christoph Waltz walked in.

At Cannes, Tarantino told Waltz: "You gave me my movie." Waltz won Best Actor there and later won the Oscar.

Michael Fassbender had spent 27 hours preparing to audition for Landa. He arrived in Berlin. Tarantino told him Landa had been cast on Tuesday. He read Hicox cold. He got the part anyway.

People keep adding this film to their lists.

Quick Facts

Inglourious Basterds: Waltz Walked In and Saved the Film.

DirectorQuentin Tarantino

CastBrad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender

GenreDrama, Thriller, War

Release2009-08-02

Runtime153 min

Rated8.2/10

Instagram caption

Tarantino spent a decade on the Inglourious Basterds script. Casting Landa was the last problem. Waltz solved it in a Berlin open audition. Meanwhile Fassbender prepared 27 hours for Landa and was told the role was gone. He got Hicox instead. #InglouriousBasterds #Backlot

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Tarantino spent a decade on this script. Then he went to Berlin to find Landa. Waltz walked in. Fassbender had prepared 27 hours for the same role. He got Hicox. #InglouriousBasterds #Backlot

Tarantino called Landa one of the greatest characters he had ever written. He went to Berlin and held an open audition. Christoph Waltz walked in.

At Cannes, Tarantino told Waltz: "You gave me my movie." Waltz won Best Actor there and later won the Oscar.

Michael Fassbender had spent 27 hours preparing to audition for Landa. He arrived in Berlin. Tarantino told him Landa had been cast on Tuesday. He read Hicox cold. He got the part anyway.

People keep adding this film to their lists.