Laurence Fishburne is offering his side of the story as to why he turned down a starring role in Pulp Fiction, refuting claims from director Quentin Tarantino that the part just wasn't big enough for him. Very famous for his well-known roles in movies like The Matrix trilogy and TV shows like CSI, Fishburne came very close to adding Tarantino's Oscar-winning flick to his body of work as well. However, the actor now says that the movie's famous heroin overdose scene was ultimately what prevented his potential casting.

Earlier this year, Tarantino spoke about the characters in Pulp Fiction, revealing that he had written the part of murderous gangster Jules Winnfield specifically for Fishburne. According to Tarantino, Laurence Fishburne turned down the role because it wasn't a leading man part that would have featured his name getting top billing. This opened the door for Samuel L. Jackson to step into the career-making role, forever turning Jackson into one of Hollywood's most beloved stars. Apparently, all's well that ends well, but Fishburne is still taking issue with Tarantino's recollection of events.

In response to Tarantino's story, Fishburne disputed the claims that he turned down Pulp Fiction over the size of the offered role. "I just had a problem with the way the heroin use was dealt with," Fishburne said in a new interview. "I just felt it was a little cavalier, and it was a little loose. I felt like it made heroin use attractive. For me, it's not just my character. It's, 'What is the whole thing saying?'...It wasn't about my character in Pulp Fiction. It was about the way in which the heroin thing was delivered. And the whole f---ing thing with the hypodermic and the adrenaline shot? No."

Fishburne fans also shouldn't expect to see him in The Matrix 4 when the upcoming sequel is released in 2022. Although the movie will feature many returning stars from the franchise, including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Fishburne recently revealed that he did not get an invite to reprise his role as Morpheus in the new movie. "I wish them well. I hope it's great," Fishburne said of the sequel, making it clear that he is hopeful for the movie's success even without his involvement. The movie is currently filming and is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 1, 2022, barring any further production delays.

These days, Fishburne can be seen in a recurring role on the popular comedy series Black-ish. He continues to appear in movies as well, recently starring in the third installment of the John Wick movie franchise. There's a good chance he'll be appearing in the next John Wick movie as well, which will be shot back-to-back with the fifth installment. Perhaps we will never know what Fishburne would have been like in the role of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, but the accomplished actor has still definitely brought to life many other great roles for his fans to enjoy. This news comes to us from Vulture.