The Character You Likely Forgot Steve Buscemi Played In Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" is still discussed to this day with fervor thanks to its intense, engaging dialogue, and non-linear framework which continues to influence writers and creatives. If you're a self-described "cinephile," there's a high chance you've seen "Pulp Fiction," which won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, at least once.
While most remember "Pulp Fiction" for its biting dialogue that has been endlessly parodied (Royale with cheese, anyone?), it's easy to forget just how star-studded the cast is. The film brought "Grease" star John Travolta back into the limelight after years of dormancy, and also furthered the international stardom of actors Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. And who can forget Bruce Willis's appearance as the aging boxer Butch Coolidge?
"Pulp Fiction" is filled to the brim with Oscar-winners and nominees and notable character actors who still provide praise-worthy performances. There's one star, however, who you may have forgotten made a cameo appearance in the film during a pivotal scene that involves the legendary "$5 dollar milkshake."
Steve Buscemi appeared as Buddy Holly, kind of
During the sequence where hitman Vincent Vega (Travolta) takes crime boss wife Mia Wallace (Thurman) out to dinner at Jack Rabbit Slim's, a throwback theme restaurant fashioned after the culture and celebs of the 1950s, an almost unrecognizable Steve Buscemi appears in a brief cameo appearance.
The themed restaurant has its waitstaff dressed up as iconic celebrities from the 1950s, and in the case of Buscemi, he appears as American rock and roll singer Buddy Holly. In the scene, Buscemi is sporting the singer's formalwear-look and thick, horn-rimmed glasses.
The character goes on to take the order of Vega and Wallace and refers to the latter as "Peggy Sue," a nod to Holly's famous love song of the same name. This same sequence is where Vega questions whether a milkshake is worth $5, which is one of the most memorable moments from the crime film.
Though Buscemi's role in the film as part of the restaurant's waitstaff is small, his presence as the bored waiter adds to the atmosphere of Jack Rabbit Slim's, which Vega describes as "a wax museum with a pulse." This brief appearance as Holly also adds to Buscemi's extensive list of cameos, potentially topping his hilarious appearance in Billy Madison.