The toaster in Pulp Fiction
The toaster in Pulp Fiction is a Sunbeam® two-slice model 346 toaster and actor. Its primary role in the film is to startle Bruce Willis and prompt him to shoot John Travolta in the chest.
Although the Toaster is considered to have landed the most important role ever given to a toaster in a major Hollywood film, director Quentin Tarantino describes him as "a complete nightmare" and "a real bitch to work with," insisting that he will never cast the Toaster in another of his films again.
Career
Early career
The Toaster moved to Hollywood at age 17, after testing out of St. Lucie West Centennial High School in Port St. Lucie, Florida. There, one of his first jobs was a cameo role on Murphy Brown, opposite Candice Bergen. Bergen has commented: "He seemed like a promising talent."
In the scene comprising the Toaster's brief cameo, Murphy Brown is having a conversation with Vice President Dan Quayle. Brown remarks "I think I'm going to remain an unmarried single mother." Quayle stares at Brown with an open mouth for a few seconds, and then a piece of bread pops out of the toaster, which is Quayle's cue to scream "YOU FUCKING WHORE!"
The episode received low ratings; however, some critics opined that the Toaster gave "the most convincing performance I've seen from a small appliance in years."
"Pop"
The Toaster's big break came when director Quentin Tarantino placed an ad in the Los Angeles Times, seeking toasters to audition for his new film. The Toaster – or, more accurately, the half-toasted bread inside it – jumped at the opportunity.
At first, Tarantino was thrilled to be working with such a unique talent. However, the mood on the set quickly heated to a crispy brown over creative differences.
- "The first take we did on that scene," recalls Tarantino, "that fucking toaster shot the Pop-Tart all the way up to the ceiling and screamed 'Duck, Motherfucker!' I yelled cut and asked him what the hell that was. He said 'I was just ad-libbing.' I said, 'Don't ad-lib. Just heat the Pop Tart.' And he said 'Well, why don't you tell me what motivation I'm supposed to have for this scene. Why do I want to make a Pop-Tart for this scumbag? I was thinking maybe I'm a double agent.' Fucking prima-donna appliances, am I right?"
Differences also arose over whether the Toaster should be paid as an actor or an extra. Although he had no lines, qualifying him as an extra, the Toaster argued that his part in this pivotal scene was so important that he should be a credited actor and should perhaps even receive top billing.
"He was totally unprofessional," concludes Tarantino. "And what was with that stupid Snoopy tattoo? We had to pay a fortune to have that removed in post. Bottom line, I'd never work with the guy again."
Later works
The Toaster starred in a number of films throughout the 1990s and 2000s, never replicating his success with Pulp Fiction. He quickly developed a reputation for being a prima donna despite less than stellar acting credentials.
In 2009 the Toaster starred in the film Jennifer's Body in the role of Jennifer, a sexy high school cheerleader who attempts to seduce her friend Needy, played by Amanda Seyfried. Although the film had relatively robust DVD sales, it was a box office disaster.
In 2010 Michael Bay announced that he had fired the Toaster from Transformers 3, and that his part would be played, instead, by a West Bend Infrared Model #78122.
"This toaster and I have suffered irreconcilable differences," explained Bay. "Honestly, right now, he's the last actor in Hollywood I'd ever work with again, after that cunt Megan Fox."
See also
