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Samuel L. Jackson Reveals How He 'Connected' to Quentin Tarantino 'After He Didn't Cast Me in His First Movie'

Samuel L. Jackson spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the beginnings of his long working relationship with director Quentin Tarantino while attending the Pulp Fiction 30th Anniversary event at the TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night in Los Angeles on April 18.

While attending the Pulp Fiction 30th Anniversary presentation at the TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night on April 18 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, the 75-year-old actor recalled to PEOPLE the moment when he and Tarantino, 61, had a conversation that would kick off a 30-year friendship and filmmaking journey between them. Tarantino ended up casting Jackson in the role of Jules Winnfield in 1994's cult classic Pulp Fiction, and the pair went on to work together on six more of the director's films over the years, including Jackie Brown, The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained. Travolta, 70, told PEOPLE on the red carpet that the movie — which features three intersecting storylines involving criminals in Los Angeles — was"planetarily epic," as he reflected on its slow burn into a pop-culture phenomenon.

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