On the 30th Anniversary of 'Pulp Fiction,' Its Most Mysterious Actor Tells the Inside Story

After appearing in the most controversial scene of Quentin Tarantino's film, Steve Hibbert had to change his phone number

Tim Appelo,

AARP

Comments

Published October 18, 2024

a head shot of Steve Hibbert today over top of an image o him 30 years ago in his leather bondage Pulp Fiction costume

Steve Hibbert today and 30 years ago in his Pulp Fiction costume.

Getty Images; Courtesy Stephen Hibbert

When Steve Hibbert, 64, was in the improv comedy group The Groundlings in 1992, he met unknown film nerd Quentin Tarantino, who cast him in Pulp Fiction, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. Hibbert wrote for TV shows (Mad TV) and script-doctored Shrek and Austin Powers flicks and many others. Onscreen, he got flashed by Heather Graham and burnt in a lava pit in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and got fired for shaking germaphobe boss Mr. Humberfloob’s hand in The Cat in the Hat.

But it was Pulp Fiction that made Hibbert paradoxically famous — even though nobody knew his face, because he played The Gimp (the Guy In Mask Permanently), a mysterious prisoner zipped inside a leather bondage suit in the basement of a psychotic pawn shop owner, along with kidnapped boxer Butch (Bruce Willis).

pulp fiction movie poster featuring uma therman

Uma Thurman as the film's femme fatale Mia Wallace.

©Miramax/Everett Collection

Hibbert, now a semi-retired, divorced Denver dad of three “amazing kids” (who love that you can buy action figures of their dad as the Gimp), autographs Gimp 8x10 glossies and speaks at Pulp Fiction fan events, like the recent 30th-anniversary screening at Long Beach, California’s Art Theater. He tells AARP what it was like to do a notorious role in an indie flick that unexpectedly revolutionized movies.

How did you and your then-wife Julia Sweeney (SNL's Pat) meet Tarantino?

At the Groundlings Theater. He would guest with the improv show on Thursday nights. He was pretty much the same then as now, hilarious, endlessly curious and passionate about film. Quentin, Julia and I were moviegoing buddies and sometime collaborators already, so he asked us to audition for Pulp Fiction.

Julia Sweeney played Harvey Keitel’s girlfriend, and your Gimp dies after Bruce Willis punches him. But did you get along better with him off camera?

Bruce is a lovely guy. At the end of the day he’d invite me, Duane Whitaker, Peter Greene and Ving Rhames over to his swanky, state-of-the-art trailer for drinks. He was totally cool. When a setup was taking a long time, he reminded everyone there was a guy— me — stuffed in head-to-toe leather gear, and it was pretty hot there on the set. I thought it was a tad grim, but all of those amazing actors had already been cast and I knew Quentin would stage it perfectly. Besides, I was hidden under all of that leather and studs, so if it was truly horrifying — and some would argue it is — I could stay anonymous.

How come you didn’t go to the gym to train for the movie? The Gimp has a bit of a spare tire!

I’ll have you know I had on a little fat suit under all that leather gear. And I lost nearly 15 pounds over that four-day shoot. Who needs the gym when you have that kind of regimen?

How did you audition for the Gimp, who has no lines?

Quentin and I acted out a master and slave scenario for the casting director. He bossed me around the office and I groveled. I felt like I'd been training all of my work life for an opportunity to audition for a role like that. Whee!

Did you write “lines” for the Gimp, or at least thoughts?

a scene from pulp fiction featuring bruce willis

Maria de Medeiros and Bruce Willis as the French ingenue Fabienne and Butch the boxer.

©Miramax/Everett Collection

I played the scene as if the creeps who kept him had cut out his tongue. Quentin really liked that idea. The Gimp had been a prisoner there for a while. So he liked being in that situation, there was a Stockholm syndrome thing happening for the Gimp. Which is why I played it sort of giddy, pointing leeringly at Butch and prancing about. I think if I had played it all sullen and menacing, it wouldn't have been as creepy.

Tarantino said the Gimp was a hitchhiker the psychos picked up seven years ago, and they trained him so he’s the perfect victim.

That's exactly the backstory we discussed. I think he was a runaway, probably escaping a horrible family situation.

How do people respond at Gimp events?

I've done a number of really fun fan fests, screenings and conventions, and I always have a blast! Hanging out with films nerds for three days? Yes, please! Lots of people are taken aback by the fact I'm such a family man, I guess. A straight guy busily cobbling together a writing career in TV and film comedies.

Did your phone ring off the hook after the movie became a monster hit?

The weekend Pulp opened, I was visiting my mom and dad in San Juan Capistrano. When I got home, there were two dozen messages on my answering machine, almost all from guys telling me they really enjoyed my performance and would I like to meet them for coffee? Yikes! These fellas had to wait for the end credits to see who played the Gimp, then find a pay phone, call L.A. 411 and snag my number. I quickly changed my number and became unlisted.

a scene from pulp fiction featuring john travolta and samual l jackson

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as the hit-man antiheroes of 'Pulp Fiction'.

Didn’t somebody impersonate you at a party, claiming to be the Gimp?

Yes! Phil Lamar, my fellow Groundling whose character Marvin gets his head blown off in the movie, overheard some dude trying to pick up a gal at a party by claiming to be the guy who played the Gimp. How odd is that? So Phil went up to him and said, "Hey, I was in Pulp Fiction, too." The dude immediately realized the charade was up and scurried off.

Now that you’re what AARP calls a “grownup,” looking back, how do think Pulp Fiction stands up in cinema history? And do you wish you could give your younger self some wise advice?

I think it's one of the greatest films of all time. I saw it again recently, and I had forgotten how funny it was, and what a great time capsule it is of Los Angeles in the early '90s. And my advice to my younger self: “Trust yourself more — no one really knows what they're doing — and go to the dentist every year for a checkup.”

%{postComment}%

Tim Appelo covers entertainment and is the film and TV critic for AARP. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at Amazon, video critic at Entertainment Weekly, and a critic and writer for The Hollywood Reporter, People, MTV, The Village Voice and LA Weekly.

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member? Login

Recommended for You

Benefits Recommended For You

See All