Amber Tamblyn's Django Unchained Cameo Explained - Screen Rant

Summary

• Amber Tamblyn's cameo in Django Unchained is a nod to her actor father, who also appears in the film.
• Tamblyn suggested the idea of her father appearing in the movie, which was approved by Quentin Tarantino.
• Tamblyn and Tarantino have a close friendship, with Tamblyn even convincing Tarantino to speak out against Harvey Weinstein.

Amber Tamblyn has a brief cameo in Django Unchained, but it's not immediately clear why the popular actor is in such a small role. Quentin Tarantino's 2012 movie, Django Unchained, is an alternate-history Western that follows Django (Jamie Foxx), an enslaved man in the Antebellum South, who is freed from captivity by a dentist/hitman named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz). Together the pair set out to collect bounties, take revenge on slaveowners, and free Django's wife, Hildi (Kerry Washington), from the clutches of the sadistic plantation owner, Calvin Candy (Leonardo DiCaprio).

With five nominations and two wins at the Academy Awards, Django Unchained is one of Tarantino's most acclaimed movies. It's also one of his most cameo-laden, with major actors playing minor parts, such as Jonah Hill making a brief cameo in Django Unchained. One of these cameos is Amber Tamblyn, an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor. Tamblyn is best known for her titular role in Joan of Arcadia as well as her part in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants franchise, among many other performances. She is a very recognizable actor, making her brief appearance in the Tarantino film curious.

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Django Unchained Cast & Character Guide

The sprawling ensemble cast of Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained is full of major movie stars, including Jamie Foxx, and renowned character actors.

Amber Tamblyn's Django Unchained Cameo Is A Nod To Her Actor Father (Who Also Appeared)

Amber Tamblyn appears early in Django Unchained when Django and Schultz waltz through town as white people gape at the freed Black man. Her character is named "Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter" and she is seen looking through a window, with a look of disbelief and near-amusement, as the pair parade past, the camera lingering on her. Her father, Russ Tamblyn, is in the same scene, as "Son of a Gunfighter", a wink at his 1965 Western Son of a Gunfighter, where he stars as Johnny Ketchum.

Speaking with Vulture, Amber Tamblyn explains just how this blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it cameo came about. She and Quentin are long-time friends, and he simply texted asking if she would, she told the site,

"He texted me and said, 'Would you come do a cameo?' And I said yes. And after the fact, I said, 'It would be super cool [to have my father and me play Son of a Gunfighter and Daughter of a Son of a Gunfighter].' And Quentin was like, 'Sold. Done.' So it's sort of like this totally weird thing to happen and a total inside joke."

So, it was Tamblyn's suggestion that her father be included, and he even gets a line of surprise at seeing Django riding a horse. Russ Tamblyn was a part of many Westerns, so it was a fun and memorable experience for his daughter, who finally had the chance to be in a Western with him. Of her experience, Tamblyn said:

"Even though I didn't really have much of a role, that to me is like a career lifetime moment. Some day, when my dad is gone, I'll look at that and go, 'We were next to each other.'"

Amber Tamblyn & Quentin Tarantino's Important Friendship Explained

Quentin Tarantino and Amber Tamblyn have a friendship that extends past cameos in Django Unchained. Their relationship is so close, in fact, that Tamblyn was the one to convince Tarantino to speak out against Harvey Weinstein in the wake of his sexual assault revelations, via Vulture. The two had dinner at Soho House in L.A., and there she convinced the director to speak against his longtime friend and collaborator, and more importantly, speak up for the hurt women by telling him,

"Don't not do this because of your ego. If you care enough, not only about your legacy, but about the women that he harmed directly that you love, do it for them. Do it for me. If you care about me, do it for me. He knew about Uma [Thurman] and Mira Sorvino, and he talked a lot about that. And that's when he really said, 'You're right.'"

Tarantino's first announcement that he would release a statement came on Tamblyn's Twitter account. She posted a message from the Django Unchained director that said he realized he would need to say something about the situation and that he would release something later that week. It was a sign of true friendship that he felt comfortable giving her such an important role in that delicate situation and that Tamblyn was happy to do so.

Watch Django Unchained On Starz

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained follows Jamie Foxx's Django, a Black slave who is freed before becoming a bounty hunter. After meeting German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schultz, Django sets off to free his wife from the cruel and charismatic plantation owner Calvin Candie. Christophe Waltz stars alongside Foxx, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington rounding out the cast of Tarantino's revisionist Spaghetti Western. 

Release Date

December 25, 2012

Runtime

165 minutes

Sources: Vulture, Vulture, Amber Tamblyn/Twitter, Amber Tamblyn/Twitter