Jamie Foxx Confirms Disturbing ‘Django Unchained’ Scene Was Cut to Protect Kerry Washington

Jamie Foxx has confirmed details about a disturbing scene that was cut from Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film Django Unchained.

Kerry Washington, who played Django’s wife, Broomhilda, previously wrote in her 2023 memoir that Tarantino’s original script included a “terrifyingly brutal rape scene” involving her character. She believed comments Foxx had made to Tarantino helped lead to the scene being removed.

In a recent appearance on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, Foxx confirmed that the scene was discussed and ultimately cut. He said he, Washington and Tarantino wanted to protect Washington from filming material that could have had a lasting impact on her career.

Foxx also said Will Smith and Idris Elba had passed on the role of Django partly because of the film’s disturbing content.

The actor explained that he pushed Tarantino to give Broomhilda a larger role because Django’s main motivation was his love for her. Tarantino agreed and added more scenes featuring Washington, making her character a stronger part of Django’s story.

Washington previously said in her memoir that avoiding the scene felt like “the answer to the prayers” she had been quietly making.