Tarantino predicts 'Hateful Eight' actress' rise to stardom

CEBU, Philippines - If there's one thing writer/director Quentin Tarantino prides himself on, it's casting the right actor to the right role.

And for his latest movie, "The Hateful Eight,' the Oscar-winner considered the highest-paid actress in the world, Jennifer Lawrence, to play the female heroine Daisy in the movie.

"When I was looking for [the character] Daisy, I could have seen Jennifer Lawrence doing a good job with the role," Tarantino told New York magazine. "I'm a very big fan of hers. I think she could end up being another little Bette Davis if she keeps on going the way she's going."

Tarantino comparing Lawrence to Davis, one of the greatest actresses of all time (two-time Oscar winner and known for starring in classics like "All About Eve" and "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"), is quite a compliment. But there was a big reason why the director didn't go any further on his idea to cast Lawrence.

"Daisy should be a little older," said Tarantino. "She should fit in with the guys."

The "guys" he's referring to are the bounty hunters who are all snowed in with Daisy at a saloon during a blizzard in "The Hateful Eight." They include veteran actors Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, and Demian Bichir.

Tarantino cast Jennifer Jason Leigh ("Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "The Anniversary Party").

"Jennifer Jason Leigh came in and was really good," Tarantino said. "She went for a couple of things that other people just kind of playacted. She had to act like she got shot, and she just screamed bloody murder. I kept remembering Jennifer's bloodcurdling scream. If it had happened in a house, somebody would have called the cops."

You can't really question Tarantino's choice as his casting track record is impeccable; even casting actors that Hollywood has long thrown aside.

His most famous instance was casting John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction," which gave the actor's career a 180. Following his impressive performance, Travolta went on to becoming a bankable lead actor through the rest of the 1990s.

The casting of Leigh isn't comparable to Travolta's. Leigh has been working consistently in movies and TV her whole career.

But it's obvious Tarantino toils over finding the right actors for his characters, regardless of their status in the business.

"I actually think my characters are going to be one of my biggest legacies after I'm done," he said. "So I have no obligation whatsoever other than to just cast it right."

"The Hateful Eight" will open in theaters on Christmas Day and in wide release on January 8. (FREEMAN)