Diane Kruger tells the March edition of GQ that Quentin Tarantino didn’t believe she was really German when he was casting for Inglourious Basterds.
Evidently Tarantino was unconvinced by her blond hair, blue eyes, and flawless Master Race complexion, not to mention the slightly more compelling evidence that she was born in Lower Saxony, christened with the awfully German surname Heidkrüger, and is totally, completely, indisputably German. “You know how it is,” Kruger says. “Sometimes filmmakers get hung up on something. I basically had to fly to Germany and show him my passport.” Tarantino’s disbelief was so peculiarly at odds with basic facts that one wonders if he just didn’t have the heart to tell Kruger he thought she wasn’t up to the job. At least that would have made sense. That Kruger delivered such a bold, brassy turn in Basterds was—just bein’ honest here—more than a little stunning, because—still bein’ honest here—her acting career did not begin with much promise. She was so forgettable in Troy and National Treasure that we forgot she was in them. But now Kruger has our full attention.
I don’t believe Diane Kruger is German either. Can she fly out here and prove it to me? I’m making a really important movie that I’d think she’d be interested in but it’s very exclusive and authentic casting is essential. The film is called Stand in Front of This Camera and Strip. That’s all I can tell you about it for now.