15 Behind-The-Scenes Stories From 'Reservoir Dogs' That Are As Intense As The Movie Itself

In a true act of kismet, the wife of producer Lawrence Bender's acting coach was acquainted with actor Harvey Keitel. The legendary actor was handed the script for Reservoir Dogs and loved it. Quentin Tarantino describes the first time he spoke with Keitel, "He just called us up three days later and said, 'Look, consider me in. Not only do I want to do it, I want to be one of the producers. I want to help get it made. Whatever I can do, let me know.'" 

Tarantino was a fan of Keitel, and he was more than willing to cast him in his directorial debut. The film's budget went from $30,000 to around $1.5 million because of Keitel's commitment to the movie. He also contributed some of his personal funds to help finance the picture, even flying the production crew to New York to find more actors. This trip secured Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen.

Michael Madsen didn't rehearse the ear-cutting scene and felt intimidated by it: "In the script it said, 'Mr. Blonde maniacally dances around,' and I kept thinking, 'What the f*ck does that mean? Mick Jagger?'" Madsen stated he also felt uncomfortable acting out the intense scene because he had a small child at the time.

What's more, the young cop in the film begs Mr. Blonde for his life by telling him he's a father with young kids. Madsen was finally able to push aside his issues and draw his dance inspiration from an unlikely source: "I started thinking about this weird little thing Jimmy Cagney did in a movie that I saw, that's where it came from."

Veteran character actor Lawrence Tierney, who played his fair share of goons on the big screen, was cast to play caper organizer and leader Joe Cabot. Unfortunately for Quentin Tarantino, this casting decision almost ruined his directing career in its first week. He said of the actor:

Tierney was a complete lunatic by that time - he just needed to be sedated. We had decided to [film] his scenes first, so my first week of directing was talking with this f*cking [guy]... By the end of the week, everybody on set hated Tierney - it wasn't just me. And in the last 20 minutes of the first week, we had a blowout and got into a [fight]. I fired him, and the whole crew burst into applause.

Tarantino has Harvey Keitel to thank for possibly saving his career. The actor stepped up and talked to the studio in defense of the director.

While filming Reservoir Dogs, Michael Madsen drove a yellow Cadillac. For one scene, the production planned to rent a car for Mr. Blonde; however, the idea struck Madsen as unnecessary. The actor recalled, "[My car] was in the parking lot right outside the warehouse where we were [filming]. They were gonna go to Budget Rent-a-Car and get a car for Mr. Blonde."

Madsen ended up saying to the producers, "Wait, wait, wait... let's use my car!"

During the movie's unmistakable opening scene, which features most of the cast chitchatting about trivialities like how much to tip a waitress, Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino) waxed poetic on his thoughts behind Madonna's famous song, "Like a Virgin." Mr. Brown explained how he believed the song to be a metaphor for large male anatomy. 

Madonna turned out to be a fan of Reservoir Dogs and asked to meet with the director. Of course, Tarantino asked whether or not he was right about his interpretation of her hit song. Of the interaction, he said:

I asked her, "Am I right about the song?" because I really believed that was the subtext.

She said, "No, it's about love, it's about a girl who's been messed over, and she finally meets this one man who loves her." She signed my Erotica album, "To Quentin. It's not about d*ck; it's about love. Madonna."

Most of the film takes place in an abandoned warehouse, which serves as the meeting point for the boys following the score. The events in the warehouse unfold in real time. Unfortunately for the film's entire cast and crew, the production filmed during summertime in Los Angeles.

The warehouse had almost no ventilation. Michael Madsen's ear-cutting scene was especially difficult to film because the excessive heat had caused the prosthetic ear to melt.