Vivica A. Fox wants to clear the air about those Zendaya Kill Bill rumors
Zendaya is probably never going to be in Kill Bill 3, and if you still feel raw about it, The Bride will be waiting
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Vivica A. Fox would like to clear the air. In 2020, during an interview with Express, Fox let slip that she’s interested in Zendaya playing her daughter in Kill Bill 3, a movie that doesn’t exist and, considering Quentin Tarantino seems hellbent on retiring, will probably never exist. However, in Fox’s telling, the media ran roughshod over her statement, ignoring the part where she said she wants the original actress, Ambrosia Kelley, to reprise her role, kill the Bride, and avenge Vernita Green.
“I was doing an interview, and a gentleman said, ‘Who would you like to play your daughter?’ And I said, ‘Ambrosia, the young lady that played my daughter in Kill Bill.’” Fox tells the A.V. Club. “And they’re like, ‘No, what if the studio wanted someone with a name?’ And I said, ‘Zendaya.’ And everybody’s like, ‘Vivica Fox wants to cast Zendaya as her daughter.’”
First of all, someone with a name? So rude to Ms. Kelley. Nevertheless, in the original interview with Express, Fox did point to Kelley. “I think they should go after the young girl who did it, Ambrosia Kelley,” she said. “She’s beautiful; I hope she’s still acting.” However, when asked if she could cast anyone, Fox jumped at the idea of casting Zendaya. “If not, if I could have my dream daughter? Zendaya. She’s tall; she’s got those long legs; she would kick ass!”
Of course, casting one of the most famous young stars in the world would get the movie going and people talking, and they did. The story went so viral that Fox is still clearing the air three years later. Fox told the story to NME in 2020: “I went, Zendaya! How hot would that be? And that would probably green-light this project. Because she and Uma are both very tall, and it would just be kick-butt, and I love her. “Hopefully, now we can put that out, like ‘Tarantino, cast Zendaya!’ And spark his interest to put it on the fast track. Wouldn’t it be amazing?”
It’s not that hard to see why the media ran with the story. Zendaya even commented on it. “I was quite honored that she would say that,” Zendaya said. “Obviously, she’s incredible, and I’m very flattered that she would think of me. You know, it’s just an idea. The internet kinda takes things and run with it.”
Sure, we’ll probably never get a third Kill Bill, but, hey, it has to be an honor for Zendaya to call you “incredible.” Plus, Fox got to appear in the SZA “Kill Bill” video. It’s true what they say: Shoot for the stars and land in a SZA video.
42 Comments
I’m lowkey kinda hoping that this ends up being Tarantino’s first big post-”retirement” non-movie project; a 4-6 episode streaming miniseries finale/sequel to Kill Bill with Uma Thurmon and Maya Hawke trying to escape a seemingly unstoppable Zendaya wielding multiple Hatori Hanzo swords in a neon pink vinyl murder-suit. Probably won’t happen, but if it did, I would grow a very long, impossibly whispy mustache to flip excitedly at the screen.
I’d love to see Beatrix Kiddo kill Nakia Bell.
This seems like the most likely scenario, actually.
The least? Quentin Tarantino, a man physically incapable of shutting up, actually retiring in any meaningful capacity.
Did Lucy Liu’s character canonically not have any children? Because if they could retcon that, Stephanie Hsu would be an amazing casting for her vengeful daughter!
First of all, someone with a name? So rude to Ms. Kelley.That’s…not rude, it is reality. She has 4 acting credits since Kill Bill II, all minor and forgettable, and the last was 2012. Sorry, she’s nobody, I’d much rather have Zendaya.
Yeah, not sure what’s wrong with the statement when it’s true. No one knows Ambrosia Kelley.
Hope Tarantino does the movie now and casts Ambrosia Kelley AND makes her the main character. Just because.
“Nobody” is harsh, but sure.Honestly, the example of this shit that sticks out to me is Independence Day: Resurgence, where Mae Whitman – the still-working and fairly prolific actress who a year prior starred in a teen romcom – was apparently not believable as…an adult version of herself. Her role in the ‘96 movie was recast with Maika Monroe from It Follows.
I’m still mad about that too. Though I wasn’t going to see Independence Day: Resurgence either way.
Pulp Fiction revived John Travolta’s career for a while. Kill Bill 3 could do the same for Ambrosia Kelley.
Thats completely different. John Travolta was already a very successful actor who was just in a career lull.
There’s a huge difference between the 2 careers, see if can spot it…
Yeah she clearly didn’t seem to have an interest in being famous or “someone with a name” after Kill Bill. So it’s not really that off-base.
I’d go with Jenna Ortega. She’s great.
There’s the face of a man desperately holding back from staring down and to his right……at Vivica’s feet.
Of course Tarantino wans to retire! You try keeping up that madman’s pace of 1 movie every 3 or so years (if you count Kill Bill as two movies)! It’s a wonder he’s not insan…oh, wait, reading the rest of his Wiki entry it’s probably too late.
Was this article generated by AI?
No chance. AI would’ve known that the “joke” about referring to actors as “name” talent wouldn’t work.
I’m willing to believe chunks of the site are AI generated now. “Even after sleeping with the director Jennifer Lawrence still doesn’t understand Mother!” a person couldn’t have written that.
People seem to be underestimating what AI can do. There’s a tonne of kids in my grade 12 class who have been caught for using it. AI very well could produce something along the lines of this article…. The Secret Invasion credits aren’t good but go look at those.
If the kids got caught using it, are people really underestimating AI?
From yesterday: “Indiana Jones Goes to the Whip”As someone who works with AI content gen models daily, I can tell you they have a real habit of writing phrases that almost sound like an idiom but don’t quite track.
Even AI has standards..
While directing “Kill Bill” Tarantino shot extra footage of Ambrosia Kelley with a future sequel in mind.
First of all, someone with a name? So rude to Ms. Kelley. Maybe, but in total fairness she hasn’t acted since 2012.
She’s backtracking a bit because she realises it may have been a bit disrespectful to Kelley. The film is never going to happen. Zendaya hardly needs the props. Given all of that, you could just let it go.
Why is Kelley so held on this pedestal tho? Like “oh jeez sorry Ambrosia I suggested someone more famous to star in this imaginary film that’s all in our heads that you star in.”
Ok – maybe “tactless” rather than “disrespectful”. My point is she was worried it might hurt her feelings and back-pedalled a bit. It’s not a hanging offence.
How was it disrespectful when she mentioned her in the first place, and before she mentioned Zendaya – at the prompting of the interviewer?
If my wife asks me what I want for dinner, and I might say pizza. If her follow up question is, “what would you want for dinner if we were in Madrid,” that would change my answer. It wouldn’t mean I no longer want pizza for dinner.
Quentin would probably want to cast someone more interesting than Zendaya. Had she *not* been as oversaturated as she currently is, he may have been interested.Just seems like a casting decision that would be made by anyone *but* Quentin.
“First of all, someone with a name? So rude to Ms. Kelley.”
Tell me you don’t understand the industry you cover without telling me.
Why all this odd love toward the child form of Ambrosia Kelley. Just cast Zendaya and get it greenlit then. Stop being weird about Ambrosia Kelley.
Why is it considered “rude” to Ambrosia Kelley? She doesn’t own this imaginary role.
I haven’t seen a single production with Zendaya in it, so I’m pretty underwhelmed to say the least. Not a Spiderman fan.
You’re underwhelmed by the performances you haven’t seen?
No, they’re underwhelmed by the hypothetical performance from a person they’ve never seen act who was off-handedly mentioned as fun casting in a sequel that is not in development that they would not be in if it was.
I’m pretty underwhelmed by your comment to say the least. Not a zgillet fan.
Tarantino should be doing less coke at his age.
I came across a movie on TV called The Aquarium or something like that. Vivica Fox and several others were trapped in an aquarium where all the fish turned into zombies or something? My gosh was it terrible. Just…Sharknado 12 levels of bad. I was surprised to see Fox doing something like that, but then again if I could earn lots of money being in a shitty movie I’d probably go ahead and do it too. Good for her, I guess.
Well unfortunately after doing Sharknado 2 she was downgraded to Vivica B Fox, and has just kept sliding even further.
Okay this was funny.
If any Tarantino film deserves – nay, demands – a sequel it’s his sequence from Four Rooms. Zendaya should talk about that.
This is air that really didn’t need clearing. I’d bet real dollars that Ms. Fox hasn’t been walking around for 3 years wanting to set the record straight. Rather, AVClub dug this up in lieu of any questions that might be pertinent or timely.