And the other actors in the scene were/are amazing - that made being present and diving into the moment incredibly easy. I was the mute and helpless slave of these two guys, and I had no choice in the matter but to do their bidding and be their plaything. SH: It was a pretty intense scene (he understated). PB: Most of your credits are in comedy - there is something comical to the part, but it’s a very intense scene. And as I mentioned above, where we would improvise together on occasion. And, of course, the Groundlings Theater is where I met Quentin. SH: Definitely! The number one rule of improv listening, “being in the moment,” “yes and…” helped me to plunge into and commit to a role that (thankfully!) isn’t like me, at all. PB: Do you think your background with the Groundlings and improv helped you land that gig? Remember this was the old days - October of ’93.) I seem to recall I did a lot of the peculiar dance moves and weirdo gestures then - things I would later do during the filming, and I think Quentin and the producers Lawrence Bender and Stacey Sher - who were at the audition, as well - thought it worked well.īy the time I got back to my apartment that afternoon, there was a voicemail on my answering machine from Quentin saying, “Congrats! You’re ‘The Gimp.'” (Yes. (This is also where several interior scenes were shot, including the basement pawn shop/”Gimp” scene, Jack Rabbit Slim’s, a couple of apartment interiors, etc.)īasically, Quentin and I did a silent scene in which he played The Gimp’s master and ordered me about the small office. SH: The brief (3-4 minute) audition was held in the low-rent “PF” production offices, located in a converted warehouse in Culver City, about a mile or two from Sony. PB: You had no dialogue - what was the audition process for that role? They were casting the rest of the movie, and Quentin - who enjoyed improvising with yours truly (I was a Groundling for years, and I’m now a proud alum) - asked if I’d like to come in and audition for The Gimp. (Even from the script, Pulp Fiction felt like it could be one of those once-in-a-decade movies, like The Godfather, Raging Bull, etc.) And, of course, by then, the main cast had already been set, and it was all looking very promising/exciting. ![]() We started hanging out - fellow movie nerds and all that.īy that point, Pulp Fiction was in pre-production, and Quentin had given me a copy of the script to read, and you could tell just from reading the incredible and complex screenplay - this was going to be an amazing movie. He was an occasional guest performer at the all-improv show at The Groundlings Theater on Thursday nights, and I was a regular performer. Stephen Hibbert: I actually knew Tarantino, at the time - around ’93. PremiumBeat: Did you know Tarantino, or were you submitted for the role? The most disturbing, outrageous, carnage scene set to surf band music you’ll ever see. Hibbert wasn’t new - he had been an actor and TV writer before Pulp Fiction - but he wasn’t going to turn down this opportunity, born from his stage comedy and the relationships he formed based on pure joy for the work. We sat down with Stephen Hibbert, who had a small-but-seminal part in perhaps one of the most influential films of the ’90s - Pulp Fiction. When you first get into this business, the prize might be a lead position above or below the line, but don’t discount the incredible opportunity to learn and build relationships while you dash for a cup of coffee for the crew or pull focus with a seasoned pro - or take a small acting role. The man behind the method, Constantin Stanislavski, once famously remarked that “There are no small parts, only small actors.” That’s not just true for actors. In this industry interview, we go behind the scenes with Steve Hibbert on Pulp Fiction‘s Most Famous Small Role: The Gimp.
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