Quentin Tarantino has garnered a reputation for a lot of standout elements in his work. Foul language and violence are always part of the equation, as are eclectic soundtracks and sharp, pop culture-centric dialogue. He’s also amazing at inventing characters – and not just lead protagonists and key supporting players, but characters who only appear in a limited number of scenes and/or find a home in the background. It’s to celebrate those particular and special creations that we have put together this feature.
From Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, who are the best Quentin Tarantino side characters? We’ve highlighted 32 of them for you below.
Lawrence Tierney As Joe Cabot In Reservoir Dogs
There’s a scene in Reservoir Dogs where Tim Roth’s Freddy Newandyke describes Lawrence Tierney’s Joe Cabot a la The Thing from The Fantastic Four, and it’s perfectly apt. Though Cabot only appears in a trio of scenes (the beginning, the end, and a mid-movie flashback), his projected energy is so imposing, massive and memorable that he might as well be made out of orange rock.
Steven Wright As K-Billy DJ In Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino helped change movie soundtracks forever with his jukebox approach to music in Reservoir Dogs, and the cherry on top is Steven Wright’s voice-only performance as the unnamed DJ for K-Billy’s Super Sounds Of The ‘70s. His unmistakable monotone is a strange flavor introducing tracks like “Little Green Bag” and “Stuck In The Middle With You,” but the casting choice is perfection.
Harvey Keitel As Winston Wolfe In Pulp Fiction
“That's thirty minutes away. I'll be there in ten.” In a crisis, you always want to be working with a person who knows how to both move fast and keep their cool, and that’s Pulp Fiction’s Winston Wolfe in a nutshell. The practically magical fixer character makes clean business out of dirty work, and his swagger is captivating.
Christopher Walken As Captain Koons In Pulp Fiction
Considering how incredible Christopher Walken’s career has been, it’s actually a bit wild that one of his greatest performances is what could practically be called a cameo in Pulp Fiction where he spends a single scene talking directly to the camera. Captain Koons’ commitment to delivering the Coolidge family watch showcases him instantly as an honorable man, but the way in which he tells young Butch the story of the timepiece makes him unforgettable.
Frank Whaley As Brett In Pulp Fiction
What were Brett and his friends planning on doing with the contents of Marcellus Wallace’s mysterious briefcase? We have no idea, but that ambition is a great layer of the character to chew on while also appreciating the guy’s futile attempt to stay cool while being interrogated by Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules Winnfield.
Eric Stoltz As Lance As Brett In Pulp Fiction
Eric Stoltz’s Lance may be a total skeeze, but he proves to be a perfect character to have in the mix when Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace is experiencing a drug overdose. He’s the perfect blend of knowledgeable and incompetent to keep things interesting in the big panic sequence with John Travolta’s Vincent Vega.
Dennis Hopper As Clifford Worley In True Romance
In most movies, there is epic conflict when a cop discovers that his son has committed a crime, but I love that Dennis Hopper’s Clifford Worley in True Romance breaks from that trope and simply opts to help his boy (Christian Slater’s Clarence) and his new blushing bride (Patricia Arquette’s Alabama).
Brad Pitt As Floyd In True Romance
The fact that Dick Ritchie’s stoner roommate is played by future A-lister Brad Pitt in True Romance is fun to recognize, but Floyd is independently a great side character: so totally zonked that he doesn’t know he is putting his friend’s lives in danger.
Christopher Walken As Vincenzo Coccotti In True Romance
Dennis Hopper’s Clifford Worley is tough as nails and really loves his son, and that warmth is perfectly contrasted with the coldness of Christopher Walken’s Vincenzo Coccotti, who comes into True Romance for a single scene and raises the stakes of the movie through the roof with his icy demeanor and threatening presence.
Val Kilmer As Elvis In True Romance
It’s pretty wild that True Romance cast Val Kilmer to play a completely off-screen, imagined version of Elvis Presley, but it’s one of the bits of brilliance in the film, as it’s the King’s words that ultimately motivate Clarence toward the life of which he dreams.
Gary Oldman As Drexl Spivey In True Romance
In the context of the story in True Romance, Drexl Spivey is a terrible person and a bona fide stain on society, but boy, does he make an immortal impression during his limited scenes. It’s Gary Oldman at his character actor best.
Chris Tucker As Beaumont Livingston In Jackie Brown
Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown is a wannabe kingpin who is unwilling to have anybody mess up his ambitions by talking to the police… and Chris Tucker’s Beaumont Livingston makes for a phenomenal conflict character in this respect. His motormouth clearly demonstrates him as a threat – and fortunately for Ordell, he can’t recognize the danger that the antagonist represents.
Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. As Winston In Jackie Brown
Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.’s Winston is principally a presence in Jackie Brown, but damn, what a presence. He is the hulking partner of Robert Forster’s Max Cherry and adds muscle to the bail bondsman operation.
Sonny Chiba As Hattori Hanzō In Kill Bill Vol. 1
Kill Bill Vol. 1 features two sides of Sonny Chiba’s Hattori Hanzō during his brief role, and they are both amazing. One side is the restaurateur who has reached his limit with his disrespectful employee (Kenji Ohba), and the other is the exceptionally gifted swordsmith who elegantly crafts the weapon that The Bride employs in her roaring rampage of revenge.
Chiaki Kuriyama As Gogo Yubari In Kill Bill Vol. 1
Chiaki Kuriyama’s Gogo Yubari is a shocking and awesome study in contrast: her youth and schoolgirl uniform suggest innocence, but she is quite possibly the most craven character in all of Kill Bill and makes terrifying use of a custom flail.
Michael Parks As Ranger Earl Mcgraw In Kill Bill Vol. 1
Not only does Ranger Earl Mcgraw have a special veteran lawman swagger that makes him pop in the opening scene of Kill Bill Vol. 1, but the Michael Parks character also happens to be key connective tissue in the larger canon universe created by Quentin Tarantino – also appearing in the Tarantino-scripted From Dusk Til Dawn and both titles in the double-feature Grindhouse.
Daryl Hannah As Elle Driver In Kill Bill Vol. 1
Daryl Hannah’s Elle Driver graduates to a full-on supporting character in Kill Bill Vol. 2, but she is kept as a colorful side character in Kill Bill Vol. 1, and she is instantly cemented as one of Quentin Tarantino’s greatest stylistic touches. The eyepatch is a killer look by itself, but her nurse disguise is top-notch, and her proper introduction to the film via a Brian De Palma-esque split-screen sequence is unforgettable.
Gordon Liu As Pai Mei In Kill Bill Vol. 2
Quentin Tarantino properly unleashes Gordon Liu as the dangerous Johnny Mo in the bloody House of Blue Leaves sequence in Kill Bill Vol. 1, but it’s in Kill Bill Vol. 2 that the actor gets to truly shine playing Pai Mei: the whispy-haired, exceptionally strict kung fu master who teaches Um Thurman’s Beatrix Kiddo all of her most deadly skills.
Michael Parks As Esteban Vihaio In Kill Bill Vol. 2
Kill Bill Vol. 2 is a film with a much different, slower energy than its predecessor, but it’s because of characters like Michael Parks’ Esteban Vihaio that it works, as his scene provides unexpected depth for the world Tarantino has created and a terrific backstory for the movie’s titular antagonist (David Carradine).
Mary Elizabeth Winstead As Lee Montgomery In Death Proof
Is Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Lee Montgomery meant to be pitied or seen as spared? She has a great introduction into Death Proof as a bit of a ditz (good for a few laughs), but when she is left behind as Zoë Bell, Abernathy Ross (Rosario Dawson), and Kim Mathis (Tracie Thoms) go out for their fateful ride, it’s unclear if she dodged a bullet or is left to experience her own special terror with Jonathan Loughran’s super creepy Jasper.
Michael Fassbender As Lieutenant Archie Hicox In Inglourious Basterds
I’m perhaps a bit biased here as a person who professionally writes about film, but it’s a spectacular thing to see a movie expert become enlisted as a military hero – and nothing is harmed by the fact that Michael Fassbender imbues Lieutenant Archie Hicox from Inglourious Basterds with classic cool that oozes off the screen.
Jacky Ido As Marcel In Inglourious Basterds
Jacky Ido’s Marcel is an underrated hero in Inglourious Basterds. Because there are so many moving pieces and perspectives in the epic war film’s grand finale, one can forget that Marcel has a key role in the revenge plot orchestrated by Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent), and his deep love for her is one of the most beautiful parts of the movie.
August Diehl As Sturmbannführer Dieter Hellstrom In Inglourious Basterds
We all love to hate Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, but August Diehl’s Sturmbannführer Dieter Hellstrom is able to inspire similar feelings in much more limited screen time. The fear he instills when he interrupts the clandestine meeting between Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) and Archie Hicox is deliciously awful (thankfully, Til Schwiger’s Hugo Stiglitz delivers him the end he wholly deserves).
Mike Myers As General Ed Fenech In Inglourious Basterds
It’s a touch silly to have Mike “Austin Powers” Myers cast to play a British general in charge of recruiting talent for a top secret mission, but it’s a credit to Quentin Tarantino’s vision that it plays so well. Myers’ Ed Fenech brings a “classic British war movie” energy to what is a very exposition-heavy scene in Inglourious Basterds, making interesting what otherwise might be dry material.
Walton Goggins As Billy Crash In Django Unchained
There are a lot of sick and twisted characters in Django Unchained who end up meeting properly terrible fates, but Walton Goggins’ Billy Crash is a standout. Not only is he a hateful and violent monster, but the audience wants to see him punished for the audacity of his powerful swagger.
Zoë Bell As Six Horse Judy In The Hateful Eight
As an ensemble piece mostly set in a single location, The Hateful Eight isn’t a movie abundant with what I would define as side characters, but Zoë Bell’s Six Horse Judy does fit the bill. She ultimately meets a tragic end, but her verve is superb while she is alive in the film’s flashback sequence, as is her great confidence in her horse-wrangling skills.
Margaret Qualley As "Pussycat" In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Between Poor Things, Drive-Away Dolls, Kinds Of Kindness and The Substance in the last few years alone, Margaret Qualley has firmly established herself as one of the best young actresses currently working, but years before all of that, she successfully entranced audiences with her single-scene turn as Pussycat in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – getting a ride from Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth to Charles Manson’s encampment on Spahn Ranch.
Al Pacino As Marvin Schwarz In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
“What a picture!” That line from Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has become a meme, but part of the reason why it pops is because Al Pacino’s Marvin Schwarz is such a terrific character: an old-school Hollywood casting agent with a passionate love of cinema.
Kurt Russell As Randy Miller/The Narrator In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
After starring as the deadly Stuntman Mike in Death Proof, Kurt Russell plays a stuntman with a totally different kind of energy in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and it’s a delight. Randy Miller is infused with Russell’s veteran charm and charisma, and his voice carries over to be a terrific guide through the period epic when he is featured in the movie as the narrator.
Julia Butters As Trudi Frazer In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino’s movies don’t generally feature many child characters, but that’s just part of what makes Julia Butters’ Trudi Frazer stand out in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Primarily featured opposite Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, she not only demonstrates remarkable professionalism for such a young person, but totally blows Rick’s mind with her respect for his acting skills.
Damian Lewis As Steve McQueen In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
It’s no secret that Quentin Tarantino has a great love of Steve McQueen movies, and the writer/director brings the legendary actor to life with a single great scene in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood where he smoothly provides the audience with everything we need to know about Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate.
Austin Butler As "Tex" In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Before he became Elvis Presley or Feyd-Rautha, Austin Butler made an awesome impression as Tex in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. His intense devotion to Charles Manson’s cause makes it all the better when he gets taken down during what ends up being a botched murder attempt.
