Was Jennifer Lawrence almost cast jn The Hateful Eight? (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Tarantino actually wanted Lawrence to play Daisy Domergue, the ruthless, sharp-tongued outlaw at the heart of his gritty western flick. But alas, scheduling demons struck hard.
Tarantino, a self-proclaimed huge Jennifer Lawrence fan, wasn’t just casually thinking about it. He told Entertainment Weekly, “I’m a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan. I think I’ve been on record of saying that her and David O. Russell’s relationship is very William Wyler-Bette Davis-like, and that’s a good thing to be like. And I can see her doing a good job with this role, so we went to talk about it and everything.” That’s some serious admiration right there. But reality? Reality laughed in Tarantino’s face.
Lawrence was swamped with Joy, The Hunger Games press marathon, and just about every blockbuster-related obligation under the sun. Tarantino himself admitted she was only able to meet him “doing [him] a courtesy to see [him]. She was doing Joy. There was just no f—ing way in the world that she was available.” Scheduling chaos, meet Tarantino’s vision—total trainwreck.
So, instead of Jennifer Lawrence, Tarantino went with Jennifer Jason Leigh, a 53-year-old powerhouse who, let’s face it, totally nailed Daisy Domergue. Tarantino later said, “I’m glad I didn’t cast somebody that young. I think I absolutely positively made the right choice, as far as the ages of the characters.” Translation: Youth didn’t fit the dirt-caked, morally messy world of The Hateful Eight. Leigh brought grit and grime where Lawrence would’ve brought starry-eyed energy. It worked.
But don’t think Tarantino’s interest in Lawrence just disappeared into the dust. Nope. Fast forward to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, where Tarantino almost cast Lawrence as Squeaky Fromme, a member of Charles Manson’s cult. Yep, another near miss.
According to People, Tarantino even told Marc Maron on the WTF podcast, “Early on, in the pre-production of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I flirted around with the idea of…Jennifer Lawrence playing Squeaky.” Sounds intense. The two reportedly met to go over the script, but once again, logistics threw a wrench in their plans.
The role eventually went to Dakota Fanning, who delivered a standout portrayal of Squeaky that left Tarantino singing her praises. He even called her performance “one of the best performances in the movie.” That’s high praise coming from a guy whose casting choices are as meticulous as his dialogue writing.
So, while Jennifer Lawrence didn’t end up in Tarantino’s western or his Hollywood tale, these near-collaborations remind us that Tarantino’s movies are as much about vision as they are about stars. Every choice, every casting twist, every unexpected snag—it’s all about bringing his uncompromising storytelling to life. And let’s be real: Tarantino always brings us back for more, chaos, quirks, and all.
