Quentin Tarantino has disclosed that two prominent actresses were dismissed during the casting process for his 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. In comments published in Jay Glennie's new book, The Making of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, the 63-year-old filmmaker described how he fired French screen icon Isabelle Huppert after she failed to attend a table read, and how Maggie Cheung was subsequently cast in her place. Tarantino cited issues with Huppert's contract, saying it had kept stalling before the table read.

The other dismissal involved Mélanie Laurent, who was cut after what Tarantino called a terrible table read. Laurent later reached out to the director and asked for a second chance, and Tarantino agreed on condition that she complete three days of rehearsals with him. She excelled at the second audition and regained the role of Shosanna Dreyfus, the film's female lead. Tarantino said he loves Laurent and that Shosanna is his character, adding that she did a wonderful job.S1S2

Released in 2009, Inglourious Basterds won wide critical praise and grossed more than $320 million worldwide against a reported budget of $70 million. The film received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and Christoph Waltz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Nazi officer Hans Landa. The cast also included Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger and Daniel Brühl. Huppert, who did not remain in the project, later received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Paul Verhoeven's Elle at the 2017 Academy Awards.S1S2

The book also details how Brad Pitt came to star in the film, a move that secured an additional $10 million for the budget. Tarantino has said he fires actors when they are not right for a part, and that he owes his film the best actors he can find. He has also stressed that rehiring Laurent does not reflect negatively on her performance.S2