You know a movie is legendary when, even decades later, its characters are still imprinted on our minds. When you think of Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 crime masterpiece, Pulp Fiction, what flashes before your eyes? The razor-sharp dialogue, the unforgettable dance between Mia and Vincent, or perhaps the sight of Vincent Vega in that iconic black suit, exuding effortless cool?

For those of us who lived through the early ’90s cinematic revolution, Pulp Fiction is one of those rare films that stuck in our minds like gum on the bottom of a shoe.

Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction | Credit: Miramax Films

But, there’s an aspect of this cult classic that’s far less talked about—the paycheck that Travolta took for playing the unforgettable Vincent Vega. Now, you’d be forgiven for assuming that an actor of Travolta’s pedigree would waltz onto the set and...