{
  "id": 19714045,
  "title": "Quentin Tarantino fired Isabelle Huppert and cut Maggie Cheung's scenes from Inglourious Basterds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/quentin-tarantino-fired-isabelle-huppert-and-cut-maggie-cheungs",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-12T14:42:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/inglourious-basterds-quentin-tarantino-isabelle-huppert-maggie-cheung-melanie-laurent"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Before Mélanie Laurent's fiery portrayal of Shosanna Dreyfus came to light, Inglourious Basterds underwent a casting upheaval that had far-reaching consequences. People confirmed the director's comments made in Jay Glennie's new book, The Making Of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino expressed his disappointment in both actresses' table reads, but his treatment of Isabelle Huppert and Maggie Cheung differed significantly.\n\nTarantino deemed Laurent's initial reading \"terrible\" and promptly fired her. However, Laurent managed to convince Tarantino of her suitability for the role, and the director agreed to give her another chance. On the other hand, Huppert's failure to attend the table read and contract complications led to her firing from the role of Madame Ada Mimieux. Maggie Cheung replaced Huppert in the role.\n\nCheung's casting proved beneficial, as Tarantino felt that the scenes featuring Cheung over-explained the acquisition of the cinema by Shosanna. He believed a title card stating \"Four Years Later\" and Shosanna explaining her inheritance from her aunt was sufficient. Despite his love for Huppert's acting, Tarantino felt that the contract issues and missed table read warranted her removal from the film.",
  "summary": "Well before Mélanie Laurent applied the crimson lipstick of Shosanna Dreyfus and ignited the film's fateful Nazi barbecue, Inglourious Basterds underwent a casting upheaval that ultimately worked out for Laurent but not for her French contemporary Isabelle Huppert.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Tarantino Fired Mélanie Laurent From ‘Inglourious Basterds’ After ‘Terrible’ Table Read and Axed Isabelle Huppert for Not Showing Up: ‘I Don’t Owe You Jack S—‘",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/tarantino-fired-melanie-laurent-from-inglourious-basterds-after",
        "published": "2026-11-11T22:56:37.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Why Quentin Tarantino Initially Fired Mélanie Laurent and Isabelle Huppert From ‘Inglourious Basterds’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/why-quentin-tarantino-initially-fired-melanie-laurent-and-isabelle",
        "published": "2026-11-13T01:40:43.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}