Samuel L. Jackson reveals that one of the major gunfights in Django Unchained was not originally in the script. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the 2012 western follows Django (Jamie Foxx) and former dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) trying to reunite Django with his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). The revenge movie is littered with scenes of extreme violence as the pair try to find her. Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson also play key roles in the Django Unchained cast as the slave owner Calvin J. Candie and his slave, Stephen Warren.
In an interview with GQ, Jackson details how an extra gunfight was added to Django Unchained. According to Jackson, when Dr. Schultz refuses to shake Candie’s hand to seal the deal for Broomhilda’s freedom, the original script did not call for a gunfight. Instead, when Candie is shot and killed, someone was simply going to grab Django. Tarantino decided there needed to be another gunfight, which resulted in some of the actors being off for the following two weeks to accommodate the new action scene.
The dining room scene was over and we’re downstairs and they’re trying to sign a contract. And Christoph shoots Leo and then gets shot. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Quentin’s like ‘We need another gunfight,’ cause that gunfight was not there when Leo dies in my arms or whatever, somebody then grabbed Django, and then Quentin decided there was going to be a gunfight. So we were off the next two weeks while they tore that f*cking house up. That big a** gunfight that’s not in the script.
The Gunfight Was Needed In Django Unchained
Candie’s Sudden Death Comes As A Shock
The additional gunfight feels necessary to Django Unchained. When Dr. Schultz shoots and kills Candie, it comes as a shock and a relief to the audience. DiCaprio plays a wonderful villain who is smarmy and truly evil. When confronted with this, Dr. Shultz knows that his actions will have massive consequences, but cannot bring himself to shake the hand of such a vile man. Candie’s death is something the audience is already rooting for, and his death necessitates the immediate need for more violence.
Candie is one of the most deplorable villains ever put on screen, and seeing the massive fallout from it is one of the most satisfying parts of the movie.
The gunfight that follows is one of the most spectacular in the movie. Tarantino is an acclaimed director who has never shied away from bloody action. The tension builds to a crescendo where Django Unchained‘s ending would have felt incomplete with Django simply being grabbed. There’s a catharsis that comes with the fight after wanting to see Candie’s demise.
Our Thoughts On The Additional Gunfight
Tarantino Excels At Action Scenes
It’s hard to imagine Django Unchained without the large-scale gunfight that happens after Candie’s death. It makes for one of the best climactic battles within Tarantino’s filmography. Candie is one of the most deplorable villains ever put on screen, and seeing the massive fallout from it is one of the most satisfying parts of the movie. While it may not have been part of the original script, its addition was one that makes Django Unchained even more memorable.
Source: GQ
