Quentin Tarantino is known for playing small roles in his movies or finding a way to make himself part of the story, and he almost did so with a key Kill Bill character – and, thankfully, he changed his mind. Since his first movie – Reservoir Dogs – in 1992, Quentin Tarantino hasn’t been afraid of giving himself a role in his movies, no matter how big or small. Unlike other directors who do the same, Tarantino’s roles in his movies feel organic and serve a purpose, but he almost stepped into controversial territory with one in Kill Bill.
In 2003, Tarantino paid a visit to the martial arts genre and brought Kill Bill. It’s the story of The Bride (Uma Thurman), a former member of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Viper ᴀssᴀssination Squad and “the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest woman in the world” looking for revenge against her former colleagues and boss. The Bride’s quest for revenge continued in Kill Bill: Volume 2 the following year, which also revealed more about the Bride’s backstory. Tarantino was almost part of a key moment in the Bride’s past, but luckily, he changed his mind.
Quentin Tarantino Planned To Play Pai Mei In Kill Bill
Pai Mei Was Played By Gordon Liu
Kill Bill 2 relies on flashbacks from the very beginning to show more of The Bride’s past, her relationship with Bill, her training, and what led to her murder attempt and current mission. One of those flashbacks shows Bill telling the Bride about the legendary martial arts master Pai Mei, who knows a very ᴅᴇᴀᴅly and complex move known as the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique, but he refuses to teach it. Bill sends the Bride to be trained by Pai Mei, and it isn’t an easy experience at all.
Pai Mei is a key character in The Bride’s past, as he’s the one who helped her become the “ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest woman in the world” by training her and bringing out the best in her. Although he tormented and ridiculed her at first, The Bride earns his respect, so much so that he teaches her the legendary Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. Pai Mei was played by Gordon Liu and is one of the most memorable performances in Kill Bill 2, but this character was originally meant to be played by Tarantino.
Gordon Liu also played Johnny Mo, head of O-Ren Ishii’s the Crazy 88.
Speaking to IGN while promoting Kill Bill 2, Tarantino revealed that he kept the part of Pai Mei for himself, sharing he had done all the training on him. However, Tarantino eventually realized he was having a lot of fun directing Kill Bill and it was “taking everything that I have” to direct it, so he lost interest in playing Pai Mei.
Tarantino playing a character like Pai Mei would have been controversial given the character is Chinese, and it would have been disrespectful if he had done it.
Luckily, Tarantino still had Gordon Liu around, so he gave him the role of The Bride’s mentor. Tarantino playing a character like Pai Mei would have been controversial given the character is Chinese, and it would have been disrespectful if he had done it. A controversy like this would have negatively impacted Kill Bill despite its quality, but Tarantino was smart enough to drop the idea.
Quentin Tarantino Has A Sneaky Appearance In Kill Bill
You Might Not Catch Tarantino In Kill Bill, Though
Quentin Tarantino dropped the role of Pai Mei and gave it to a much more suitable and skilled actor, but he was still part of the cast of Kill Bill. In the first movie, The Bride confronts O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) in Tokyo, where O-Ren makes her fight the Crazy 88. This ended up being one of the most praised and memorable scenes in Kill Bill and Tarantino’s filmography, and as it turns out, Tarantino was part of the Crazy 88.
Tarantino’s cameo is an uncredited one, and given all the action in this scene, it’s hard to say when exactly he shows up – however, it’s reported that he’s one of the Crazy 88 members whose throat is slit by The Bride. While some of Quentin Tarantino’s decisions in his movies have been questionable, he made a very wise choice in casting someone else as Pai Mei in Kill Bill: Volume 2.
Source: IGN.
