“Pulp Fiction” stars, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Harvey Keitel reunited at the TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday for a 30th-anniversary screening of Quentin Tarantino‘s cult classic.
The stars gathered to discuss the way the film changed the landscape of cinema and the trajectory of their careers. “It changed cinema, so it’s almost hard to have it sink in,” Thurman said, according to Variety. “I feel like I’ve had an evolving and beautifully growing relationship with ‘Pulp Fiction’ all of my life. It changed cinema, and it changed every filmmaker I met since.”
The structure of the film, dialogue, and unforgettable characters cemented the film as one of the most recognized classics that paved the way for many other Hollywood films. The sheer impact of their cumulative work on the movie is not lost on the famous actors who starred in it.
“Quentin is one of those talents that changed the environment that we were working in with his huge talent,” Keitel said, according to Variety.
“His aesthetic force was so powerful that it had the power to change your direction, and we’re all here tonight for the same reason: we respect the art and the artist. God knows our country needs it now because of what’s going on in it,” he said.
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson attend the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of “Pulp Fiction” during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM
Emma Heming Willis and Tallulah Willis attend the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of “Pulp Fiction” during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images for TCM
Travolta reflected on how his career was in a lull at the time that Tarantino offered him the opportunity to star in the film.
“I had a great first chapter, and I was desperately looking for a second one,” he admitted, according to Variety.
“And [Quentin] took me to the moon and back. After that, it was mind-boggling, the opportunities that came my way. I mean, an actor can only fantasize about what happened after that for me,” he said.
Uma Thurman attends the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of “Pulp Fiction” during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Presley Ann/Getty Images for TCM
Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman attend the Opening Night Gala and 30th Anniversary Screening of “Pulp Fiction” during the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 18, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for TCM
“It was next level.”
Jackson soared to fame with the release of “Pulp Fiction,” and continues to stun in epic roles with no signs of slowing down. He spoke modestly about how “Pulp Fiction” impacted his acting career by saying, “I was floating along and doing well, and this film was a great boost to me, just working and doing it through the work,” he said, according to Variety. (RELATED: Quentin Tarantino Cancels ‘The Movie Critic’: REPORT)
US film director Quentin Tarantino (L) flanked by (from L) US actor Bruce Willis, Portuguese actress Maria de Medeiros, US actors John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Lawrence Bender, on May 23, 1994. Photo by Georges BENDRIHEM / AFP via Getty Images
Willis, who played the role of Butch Coolidge in “Pulp Fiction,” was notably absent from the reunion, as he battles frontotemporal dementia. His wife, Emma, and their daughter, Tallulah, attended the event in his place, to honor and celebrate Willis’ contributions to the film.