Quentin Tarantino Told Christoph Waltz to Skip Rehearsals for 'Inglourious Basterds'

The director told the actor "hold a lot back" until cameras were rolling

BY Kaelen BellPublished Jul 30, 2021

Quentin Tarantino says he requested Christoph Waltz not join his fellow Inglourious Basterds cast members in rehearsals, choosing to surprise them with his character instead.

Appearing on The Moment podcast, the writer-director discussed the creation of the 2009 Academy Award-winning movie and Waltz's villainous Hanz Landa. He recalled telling Waltz that he "[didn't] want Diane Kruger or Brad Pitt to know your gun-slinging abilities until the cameras are rolling." Instead, Waltz practised his scenes with the director himself.

Tarantino also asked Waltz to "hold a lot back" during the initial script reading, explaining that many of the non-German actors were unfamiliar with Waltz's work.

"I do not want them to think that they are getting a glimpse of who you are really going to be. On a scale of one to 10, be a six. Be good enough, just good enough," said Tarantino. "I do not want you to be in a competition with anybody, and if you are in competition, then lose. I don't want them to know what you have or for them to have a handle on Landa."

For his role as the terrifying Landa in Inglourious Basterds, Waltz took home the Best Actor prize at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

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