Samuel L. Jackson pushed Leonardo DiCaprio to throw racist insults in the script of Django Unchained although he was reluctant to do so.
In Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 revisionist western, the Titanic star played Calvin J. Candie, a plantation owner who owned many slaves, including Jackson’s character Stephen.
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The script called for Candie to use the “N-word” and DiCaprio felt uncomfortable until his co-stars Jackson and Jamie Foxx convinced him that the offensive word was in keeping with the character.
In a retrospective video of his career for Vanity FairFoxx recalled, “The topic — the N-word, specifically — Leo had trouble pronouncing the N-word. We’re reading and Leo says, ‘Hey, guys. Cut it! I can’t do that. It’s not me!’
Remembering Jackson’s response, he continued: “Samuel L. Jackson said, ‘Say it, tabarnak! It’s just another Tuesday. Let them eat shit!’”
The Oscar winner gave his co-star some advice and pointed out that a slave owner would have used the “N-word” back in the day.
-“I told Leo, I said, ‘Leo, you know, back in the days of slavery, we never spoke, so I’m not your friend. I’m not Jamie Foxx. I am Django,” he shared. And I told him you can’t play this character unless you really understand what slavery is. It was hard. It was horrible. There was no stupidity in the time of the slaves.”
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Foxx’s advice paid off as it helped DiCaprio become more like his character on set.
“So the next day, I see Leo. He comes in, I said, “Leo, what’s up? L, what’s up?” He doesn’t talk to me. He’s ready. Everyone started to understand.”
Foxx played the title character, a bounty hunter who goes to Candie’s plantation to rescue his slave wife, Broomhilda.
