• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Samuel L. Jackson's bold response to Leonardo DiCaprio after he stopped reading ‘Django Unchained’ due to the script's racial slurs

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 16:12 25 Jan 2025 GMT

Samuel L. Jackson's bold response to Leonardo DiCaprio after he stopped reading ‘Django Unchained’ due to the script's racial slurs

Samuel L. Jackson had to step in during filming

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

If you've seen Django Unchained then you'll understand Leonardo DiCaprio's reasoning behind having stopped reading the script.

Quentin Tarantino is not afraid to write racist remarks into his movies, and while it's strictly for cinematic effects, it's difficult for the actors that have to say them aloud - and it's even led to allegations that Tarantino himself is racist.

Which is clearly not the case. In fact, Samuel L. Jackson has the best defense for the epic director who he's worked with on six separate occasions.

Advert

That is that in every film Tarantino makes, he always gives Jackson the 'smartest character in the film, that has the most dignity and respect' - which would be 'impossible for a racist to do'.

I feel like that needed explaining first before we got into DiCaprio needing a pep talk from Jackson as he struggled to play the vile slave owner Calvin J. Candie in the 2012 movie Django Unchained, due to the use of racist language.

Jamie Foxx, who played the titular Django, revealed at one point Jackson stepped in to help out.

Speaking back in 2019, on QT8: The First Eight - a documentary about director Tarantino’s career - Foxx said: “Leonardo DiCaprio had a problem saying the word ‘n*****’.”

Jamie Foxx as Django, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin J. Candie (Sony Pictures
Jamie Foxx as Django, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Calvin J. Candie (Sony Pictures

Foxx said DiCaprio told him: ”Pal, pal, it’s tough for me to say this.”

However, Jackson got involved, in a very typical style.

Foxx revealed: “I remember Samuel L Jackson going, ‘Get over here, motherf**ker, this is just another Tuesday motherf**ker. I don’t give a f**k about these motherf**kers, look at who I am, motherf**ker.’”

Foxx also gave the actor some advice telling DiCaprio that to get into the role he had to stop thinking of him as his friend.

He went on: “I said, Leo, we’re not friends, this is just another Thursday. This is your property. These aren’t humans. This is your property.’

“And, when Leo came in the next day, it was literally like… ‘What’s up Leo? What’s up fam?’ He didn’t speak.

“Quentin allowed us to really transport back to that time and it was really real.”

Leonardo DiCaprio as vile slave owner Calvin J. Candie (Sony Pictures)
Leonardo DiCaprio as vile slave owner Calvin J. Candie (Sony Pictures)

And the combination of advice really seemed to do the trick as DiCaprio was widely praised for his acting in the movie - even earning himself a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor.

DiCaprio has previously said he ‘hated’ Candie but spoke about how he was pushed to put in the best performance possible.

He said: “It was this incredibly interesting horrific character. I mean, there was absolutely nothing about this man I could identify with.

“I hated him and it was one of the most narcissistic, racist characters I’ve ever read in my entire life.

“One of the pivotal moments for me was this initial read through, I wondered if it needed to be this violent and this atrocious to other human beings and it was Sam and Jamie who said, ‘If you sugarcoat this people are going to resent the hell out of you. You got to push this guy to the outer extreme'."

Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images/Emma McIntyre

Topics: Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Foxx, Film and TV

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

22 hours ago
23 hours ago
a day ago
  • MGM
    22 hours ago

    Gina Gershon reveals why role in steamy cult movie left her 'traumatized'

    Once panned as a flop, the ’90s cult classic gradually found its audience, and now Gershon is among those embracing it.

    Film & TV
  • Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images
    23 hours ago

    Elijah Wood says he doesn't want anyone else to play role of Frodo as long as he’s alive

    It's said that he's reprising the role for 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'

    Film & TV
  • Netflix
    a day ago

    When One Piece season 3 could release as ‘wildly impressive’ new episodes debut with 100% ratings

    Hopefully, fans won't have to wait as long as they did for season two

    Film & TV
  • NEON
    a day ago

    Movie up for Oscars Best Picture 'deserved twice as many nominations' and is available to watch for free ahead of awards

    The film, starring Wagner Moura, has a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes

    Film & TV
  • Who Leonardo DiCaprio was talking to in 'sassy' viral video from Golden Globes finally revealed
  • Everyone’s pointing out Leonardo DiCaprio’s reaction to Jennifer Lawrence saying he’d ‘look great with a teenage daughter’
  • Samuel L. Jackson’s has the most unimpressed reaction to losing Best Actor Tony Award
  • Lip reader 'reveals' Selena Gomez and Samuel L Jackson's awkward exchange during Oscars speech