Quentin Tarantino Explains How PULP FICTION's Jules and Vincent Are Like Children

Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules and John Travolta’s Vincent from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction are a couple of incredibly entertaining movie characters. Some of the most memorable that the filmmaker has ever introduced audiences to. I think that they are two of the most quoted characters in any of Tarantino’s films.

Jules and Vincent are such fun and playful personalities, at the same time they don’t have any issues being criminals and killing people. During a past interview with Film Comment, Tarantino explained what he was going for with these characters and likened them to children. He explained:

"That's a motif that runs through all these gangster guys. Jules [Sam Jackson] has the line in 'Pulp Fiction,' 'Let's get into character.’ They're a cross between criminals and actors and children playing roles." 

That explains so much about these two characters! They don’t really act like hitmen, they act like kids who are playing the roles of hitmen! It’s pretty interesting to learn what Tarantino was doing with these characters, and it makes sense as to why they are relatable. When you rewatch the movie and listen to 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 ever saw kids playing — three little kids playing Starsky and Hutch interrogating a prisoner — you'll probably see more real, honest moments happening than you would ever see on that show, because those kids would be so into it. When a kid points his finger at you like it's a gun, he ain't screwing around, that's a gun where he's coming from."

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

"It was never a conscious decision, playing on the idea of big men are actually little boys with real guns, but it kept coming out and I realized as I was writing 'Pulp,' that actually fits." 

Then, of course, you’ve got the characters Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) and The Wolf (Harvey Keitel), who both are like father figures to Jules and Vincent, taking care of them and helping them out when they find themselves in their sticky situations. Tarantino went on to explain:

"You can even make the analogy with the scene with Jules and Vincent at Jimmy [Quentin Tarantino]'s house, they're afraid of their mom coming home. You spilled s**t on the carpet. Clean up the mess you made from screwing around before your mom gets home."

While I’ve always recognized Jules and Vincent as being a couple of dorky hitmen characters, until now, I never saw them as acting like children, and now I can watch and enjoy this movie in a whole new light.