| Mia Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Pulp Fiction character | |
 Uma Thurman as Mia at Jack Rabbit Slims | |
| Created by | |
| Portrayed by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Actress (formerly) |
| Spouse | Marsellus Wallace |
| Nationality | American |
Mia Wallace is a fictional character portrayed byUma Thurman in the 1994Quentin Tarantino filmPulp Fiction. It was Thurman'sbreakthrough role and earned her a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The character became acultural icon.
Mia was the featured character of the film's promotional material, appearing on a bed with a cigarette in hand.[1]
At the beginning of casting Tarantino andMiramax were consideringIsabella Rossellini andMeg Ryan for the part.[2] Other actresses considered includedDaryl Hannah,Joan Cusack,Halle Berry,Julia Louis-Dreyfus,Holly Hunter andAlfre Woodard.[2][3] Tarantino preferredMichelle Pfeiffer who auditioned for the role.[2]Kate Beckinsale also auditioned.[4]
Rosanna Arquette was considered but ended up portraying Jody in the film.[2] Her sisterPatricia was one of Tarantino's choices to play Mia as well.[5] Other actresses on the list wereVirginia Madsen,Marisa Tomei,Jennifer Beals,Pam Grier,Phoebe Cates,Bridget Fonda,Jasmine Guy,Angela Bassett,Annette O'Toole,Debra Winger,Robin Wright,Meg Tilly,Madonna,Cynda Williams andN'Bushe Wright.[5]
Thurman's agentJay Moloney read a copy of the screenplay and felt Mia was perfect for her. Thurman, however, was not as confident the role was right for her. She found the script frightening and vulgar. In spite of her misgivings she met Tarantino for a three hour lunch in Los Angeles, and later an hours long discussion in her New York apartment.[6]
Mia was modeled after actressAnna Karina, a prominent figure of theFrench New Wave andmuse ofJean-Luc Godard.[7] For Mia's look in the film, costume designerBetsy Heimann created her appearance to be that of a femaleReservoir Dog. She also included designer name brands likeChanel to show that she is themoll of a richcrime boss.[8] Additionally her look was inspired bysilent film stars and meant to invoke afemme fatale.[9] Mia's personality and looks are also reminiscent ofElvira Hancock fromBrian De Palma'sScarface.[10]
Mia is the wife of the crime boss Marsellus Wallace. Before meeting Marsellus, Mia was an aspiring actress who appeared in atelevision pilot calledFox Force Five, which failed.
Marsellus goes out of town and asks Vincent Vega, one of his assassins, to take Mia out to dinner while he's gone. Vincent agrees, although he is worried about how it will look; when asked about taking her out, he repeatedly insists that "it's not a date". His friend and partner-in-crime and fellow hitman Jules Winnfield warns him not to forget his place, and tells him a story about Antwan "Tony Rocky Horror" Rockamora, one of Marsellus' men whom Marsellus threw out of a four-story window, supposedly because he gave Mia afoot massage.
When Vincent goes to pick Mia up at Marsellus's lavish house, she speaks to him over the intercom as she snortscocaine in a separate room. The two then head to dinner atJack Rabbit Slim's, a1950s-themed restaurant. During dinner, Mia and Vincent talk about subjects such as awkward silences, her acting career, 1950s and 1960spop culture, and some gossip related to Vincent's business associates. When Vincent brings up what happened to Rockamora, Mia says that "The only thing Tony ever touched of mine was my hand when he shook it on my wedding day". Suddenly, the restaurant's DJ announces a twist contest, and Mia wants to win the trophy for first place. Though Vincent is reluctant, he gets up and dancesthe twist with Mia toChuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell".
When Mia and Vincent return to the house to celebrate, Vincent goes to the bathroom while Mia dancesUrge Overkill's cover of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon". While Vincent contemplates what to do next in the bathroom, Mia finds a small bag ofheroin inside Vincent's coat pocket, and snorts it, thinking that it is cocaine. When Vincent returns from the bathroom, he finds Miaoverdosing on the couch, and frantically drives her to the house of his dealer, Lance, in an effort to save her. Lance gets anadrenaline shot, which Vincent administers directly into Mia's heart, and instantlyresuscitates her and saves her life.
The two return to the Wallace house after the overdose. Vincent and Mia agree not to tell Marsellus about what happened, as it would surely mean big trouble for both of them, and she finally tells Vincent herFox Force Five joke.
When the boxer Butch Coolidge double-crosses Marsellus by winning afixed fight, Marcellus sends Vincent to kill him. Vincent sees Mia in the room with Marsellus, and Mia thanks him for dinner the day before.
Mia is seen briefly in a swimcap and one-piece bathing suit next to the Wallace's swimming pool as her husband Marsellus talks to Jules on the phone.
Raven McCoy was Mia's character onFox Force Five. She is the deadliest woman in the world with a knife, raised bycircus performers, who knows a massive amount of old jokes she learned from her grandfather, aVaudeville performer.[11] McCoy is a reference to threeX-Men characters. Her first name comes fromRaven Darkhölme and her last fromHank McCoy. Her background is the same asNightcrawler's who was also raised by circus performers.[12][13] The series itself came fromThe Doll Squad.[14]: 126
In 2014, for the 20th anniversary ofPulp Fiction a play was produced based on the films of Tarantino. In it Mia Wallace was played byRumer Willis, daughter of Bruce Willis. Willis rotated the portrayal withLindsey Gort and Ginifer King on different nights.[15]Lizzy Caplan portrayed Mia in a staged2014 live reading of thePulp Fiction screenplay.[16]
Although her character was named "The Blonde Fox" (a different character than Wallace's onFox Force Five),[11] actressEvan Rachel Wood played a character inspired by Wallace and Thurman's characterBeatrix "The Bride" Kiddo from Tarantino'sKill Bill for a 2019 stage musical based on Tarantino's films and featuring music from his films, titledFox Force Five and the Tyranny of Evil Men.[17] The Blonde Fox was later portrayed by Lindsey Gort in a 2021 version of the play.[18]
The character ofJane Margolis (Krysten Ritter) from the TV seriesBreaking Bad was inspired by Mia.[19] In the 1997parody filmPlump Fiction asatirical version of Mia was played byJulie Brown.[20] In the second season ofCommunity for the episode "Critical Film Studies" the characterBritta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) dresses as Mia for aPulp Fiction party.[21] In an episode ofAll-American Girl titledPulp Sitcom guest starring Tarantino,Margaret Cho spoofs Mia, including the dance scene and drawing the air square.[22]
AfterMargot Robbie asked Tarantino for permission,Fox Force Five became the working title for her 2020 filmBirds of Prey. Robbie said, "The five prominent women inBirds of Prey lined up perfectly withFox Force Five."[23]Lisa Rinna,Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave,Kyle Richards,Dorit Kemsley andErika Girardi ofThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills publicly adoptedFox Force Five as a term to refer to themselves.[24] In 2022, the filmThe 355 was released starringJessica Chastain. It is "essentially a reimaginedFox Force Five."[25]
The musicalgirl group TheSpice Girls played characters inspired by theFox Force Five for themusic video to their 2nd single from their 1996 albumSpice, "Say You'll Be There".[26] A year later in their 1997 filmSpice World, the group pays homage toFox Force Five with afilm-within-the-film calledSpice Force Five.[27] InThe Lego Batman Movie,Batman (Will Arnett) discusses possible team names and mentionsFox Force Five.[28]
Mia's look becameiconic and an influence in women's fashion for years to come.Cosmetics andfragrance lines fromUrban Decay ofL'Oréal andTom Ford have been named and designed after her.[7][10] Her outfit influencedfashion shows and designs fromMarc Jacobs,Jil Sander, Tom Ford,Rag & Bone[29] andKate Sylvester.[30] In 2021, Korean singerJennie did a photo shoot forElle Korea as Mia Wallace.[31]
Mia's outfit also became one of the most popularHalloween costumes for decades to come.[32] ActressAnya Taylor-Joy stated she has dressed up as Mia multiple times and that it is her "all-time favorite costume."[33] Major retailers includingAmazon andWalmart sell Mia Wallace Halloween costumes.[34][35]
In 2012, rapperWiz Khalifa released theTaylor Allderdice mixtape featuring the track "Mia Wallace".[36] In 2015, the rock bandFall Out Boy released the single "Uma Thurman", influenced by Mia Wallace, The Bride fromKill Bill andDick Dale's "Misirlou" which was featured inPulp Fiction.[37] The chorus of the song is about Mia and Vincent Vega's dance scene.[38] Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa performed "Uma Thurman" live at the 2015Billboard Music Awards featuring 12 dancers dressed as Mia Wallace.[39] Also in 2015, rapperLucki released his album X with the seventh track being named after her. In 2017, the French rapper Zola also made a song referring to him named Mia Wallace featuring with 67%.
The famous dance scene between Mia and Vincent Vega took inspiration fromDisney's 1970 animated filmThe Aristocats[40] and a scene fromJean-Luc Godard's 1964 filmBande à part featuringAnna Karina andClaude Brasseur.[41] It also took inspiration from a scene inFederico Fellini's8½ featuringBarbara Steele andMario Pisu.[41]
The Mia-Vincent dance scene was imitated in the filmsAntz (1998)[42] andBe Cool (2005). The latter with Travolta and Thurman again as different characters.[43]
The dance scene was also featured in the Billy and Mandy episode and in K-pop girl groupTwice’s music video for their single "What is Love?".
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone wrote that Uma Thurman's performance "is marvelous here, seductively scrappy as she teases Vincent."[44]
Jason Bailey saw Mia as someone who easily controlled men. He thought she was manipulative but also very self-aware and someone who "easily transcend[ed]" her image. He compared three other characters to Mia:Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) inDouble Indemnity; Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner) inThe Killers; Gilda Farrell (Rita Hayworth) inGilda.[14]: 68–69
Thurman was nominated for theGolden Globe andAcademy Awardfor Best Supporting Actress for her performance.[45]