David Duchovny details funny way Quentin Tarantino rejected him for Reservoir Dogs

David Duchovny as Sam Hodiak in Aquarius

(Image credit: Jordin Althhaus/NBC)

David Duchovny has shared the kind feedback Quentin Tarantino gave him for his Reservoir Dogs audition. The X-Files star was rejected for the director's feature film debut about a group of diamond thieves whose heist goes badly wrong.

The 1992 movie went on to star Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, and Tarantino himself. While promoting his new Netflix movie You People, Duchovny shared how he auditioned for the role of Mr. Orange (which went to Roth). Despite the rejection, he looks back fondly on the experience.

"So I auditioned for Quentin Tarantino," the actor told Collider. "And this is not an imitation of Quentin, but he's a high-energy guy, and he goes, 'I really like what you do. I just don't know if I want you to do it in my movie.' It was the best rejection I ever got in my life."

New Netflix comedy You People hits the streaming platform on January 27. It stars Jonah Hill as Ezra Cohen and Lauren London as Amira Mohammed, who fall in love after a rideshare mix-up. However, their relationship is tested by their respective families who inject themselves into their lives constantly. Duchovny plays Ezra’s dad and Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays his mom, while Eddie Murphy and Nia Long star as Amira’s parents.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.