Culture Cinema & Tv

Django Unchained premieres in London after five Oscar nominations: Tarantino and the cast answered our questions

Django Unchained premieres in London after five Oscar nominations: Tarantino and the cast answered our questions

Just a few hours after being nominated for five Academy Awards, Quentin Tarantino took to the white carpet with his stars for the UK premiere of Django Unchained. London’s Leicester Square was overflowing with screaming fans; all desperate to catch a glimpse of the cinematographic hero and the esteemed cast: Samuel L Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington and Jamie Foxx.

First up the carpet was the beautiful Kerry Washington who wore a white gown designed by Giles Deacon and embellished with a large horse.

What was it like working with Quentin?

Kerry Washington: It was amazing, amazing to be able to collaborate with such a talented artist.

What was the atmosphere like on set?

KW: It was very supportive and being on a location where these things actually happened, well it was like we were working on sacred ground.

What scene did you find the most difficult to film?

KW: All of them! (laughs) Waking up everyday and asking yourself what it’s like to be not fully human.

Next was Christoph Waltz, who was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor – a category which he won back in 2009 for his role in Inglorious Basterds, which was also directed by Tarantino.

What did you find the most difficult when filming Django?

Christoph Waltz: It was a tough shoot. I mean tonight (it’s freezing) is nothing, we filmed in locations that went down to -30. It was a long shoot too. (9 months)

What was working with Quentin again like?

CW: Impossible.

Impossible in a good way?

CW: Just impossible!

Samuel L Jackson was taken to the main stage with Alex Zane but a dapper looking Jamie Foxx was next to arrive. Wearing a bright purple suit and turquoise shirt he looked fantastic.

Who are you wearing?

Jamie Foxx: Ozwald Boateng, he’s a fantastic British designer.

It has been said that you found filming particularly emotional?

JF: Yes, I mean it was an emotional set but it was mainly when I was watching Kerry. She was inspirational and yeah I got very, very emotional.

Finally came the man who made this all possible; the cult figure Quentin Tarantino himself.

Congratulations on the award nominations, how do you feel?

Quentin Tarantino: Thank you. It’s great, I mean this was a rough movie to make and everything but it’s very rewarding now that we’re done.

In dealing with such a delicate subject matter, what did you find was your main priority when making this film?

QT: Well, to do a good job making a good movie and also I wanted to actually, more than anything, take a 21st century audience and put them in America at the time of slavery and give them a sense of what it was like.

Alice Audley
Photos: Alice Audley

Read our review of Django Unchained here.

More in Cinema & Tv

Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis bring Patricia Cornwell’s forensic icon to life in Prime Video’s Scarpetta

The editorial unit

Sean Combs: The Reckoning – Explosive four-part documentary lands on Netflix this December

The editorial unit

Kristen Stewart steps behind the camera for powerful debut The Chronology of Water, in cinemas February 2026

The editorial unit

Joanna Lumley, Richard Curtis and Beatles family attend exclusive screening of The Beatles Anthology at BFI Southbank

The editorial unit

“I just find it mad, but also incredibly exciting”: Ellis Howard on BAFTA Breakthrough

Sarah Bradbury

Power, paranoia and deepfakes: Holliday Grainger returns in first look at The Capture series thre

The editorial unit

Nia DaCosta directs 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a brutal evolution of the horror series

The editorial unit

Universal

Andrew Murray

Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi star in Paul Schrader’s introspective new drama Oh, Canada

The editorial unit