NEWSJamie Foxx Says 'Bombastic Scene' Was Removed from 'Django Unchained' to Protect Kerry Washington's Career
Jamie Foxx said a ‘boombastic scene' was removed from ‘Django Unchained’ to protect Kerry Washington.
Aug. 26 2026, Published 7:21 a.m. ET
Jamie Foxx is opening up about a major change made to Django Unchained — and why it was important to protect Kerry Washington's career.
During the Tuesday, August 25, episode of the “Baby, This is Keke Palmer” podcast, Foxx reflected on the making of Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film, which sparked plenty of conversation after its release.
Jamie Foxx revealed that certain scenes from ‘Django Unchained’ were removed to protect Kerry Washington’s career.
Host Keke Palmer noted that some people "were scared of that script," which followed Django, played by Foxx, as he fought to reunite with his wife, Broomhilda von Shaft, portrayed by Washington.
Given the heavy subject matter, Foxx said a certain “bombastic scene” from the original screenplay ultimately wasn't meant to make it onto the big screen.
"But you got to be vocal and not be afraid [to speak up]," Foxx said. “I know about Quentin; what he put in his script he don’t always shoot that.”
‘Movies Are Forever’
Jamie Foxx said he, Quentin Tarantino and Kerry Washington agreed that the original material went too far.
Foxx then revealed just how intense some of the original material was.
"If you read the script, Broomhilda and Django get r-----. But once we got together, Quentin and I and Kerry — we wanted to protect Kerry Washington,” he added. "Why? Because movies are forever. Meaning that if there is some bombastic scene, you can’t take it out and it’s forever.”
At the time, Washington, 49, had not yet become widely known for her role as Olivia Pope on Scandal. Foxx said he was already thinking about what the controversial scenes could mean for her future.
"And we wanted to make sure that we protected Olivia Pope. And at that time, that television show wasn't out yet, but I said, 'Hey, she's going to have this show, and we want to protect her,' and he was with it,” he added.
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Foxx Wanted More of Broomhilda
Kerry Washington had not yet starred as Olivia Pope on ‘Scandal’ when ‘Django Unchained’ was filmed.
According to Foxx, the team ultimately removed all of the "outlandish stuff" from the script.
However, the actor also had another suggestion. He requested a bigger presence for Washington’s character so audiences could better understand what was driving Django throughout the story.
“I’ll only say this because we have a great leader. I said, ‘QT, when I read the script, the only thing that I see is Django. He ain’t trying to cure slavery, but he love his woman. So right now, in the script, his woman ain’t in there enough," he recalled.
Palmer pointed out that "a good leader respects the people that he put in place," though Foxx admitted that speaking up to the film's director wasn't necessarily an easy move.
Tarantino Took the Notes
Jamie Foxx also pushed for Broomhilda to have a larger role in the movie so Django’s motivations would be clearer.
Still, Foxx said Tarantino “accommodated” their concerns and adjusted the story.
“Quentin goes, ‘Yeah, it’s an omelet… all these ingredients — I’m going to throw some more of Broomhilda. So in the movie when you watch it, those scenes where Kerry Washington is sort of in his eyesight, that wasn’t in the script," he stated.
“He placed Kerry Washington to make sure it was the through line, so that Django, it was a guy about going to get love in the worst circumstance,” Foxx added. “So therefore, when people watched it, it’s like, ‘Oh man, he’s on a journey to get his girl.’”
