Tarantino's ninth and most recent film,Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), was a comedy-drama set in the late 1960s about the transition ofOld Hollywood toNew Hollywood; his debut novel, anovelization of the film, was published in 2021. He has tentative plans for his tenth film to be his last before retiring from filmmaking.
Early life
Quentin Jerome Tarantino was born inKnoxville, Tennessee, on March 27, 1963,[2] the only child of Connie McHugh and aspiring actorTony Tarantino, who left the family before his son's birth.[3] He has claimed to haveCherokee ancestry through his mother, who was also of Irish descent, while his father was Italian-American.[3][4] He was named in part after Quint Asper,Burt Reynolds's character in the TV seriesGunsmoke.[5] Tarantino's mother met his father during a trip toLos Angeles; after a brief marriage and divorce, she left Los Angeles and moved to Knoxville, where her parents lived, and returned to Los Angeles with her son in 1966.[6][7]
Tarantino's mother married musician Curtis Zastoupil soon after arriving in Los Angeles, and the family moved to nearbyTorrance, California.[8][9] Zastoupil accompanied Tarantino to numerous film screenings while his mother allowed him to see more mature movies, such asCarnal Knowledge (1971) andDeliverance (1972). After his mother divorced Zastoupil in 1973 and received a misdiagnosis ofHodgkin's lymphoma, Tarantino was again sent to live with his grandparents in Knoxville. Less than a year later, he returned to Torrance.[10][11]
At the age of 14, Tarantino wrote one of his earliest works, a screenplay calledCaptain Peachfuzz and the Anchovy Bandit that was based on the 1977 filmSmokey and the Bandit. He later revealed that his mother had ridiculed his writing skills when he was younger, and he subsequently vowed never to share any of his future wealth with her.[12] As a 15-year-old, he was grounded by his mother for shopliftingElmore Leonard's novelThe Switch from aKmart. He was allowed to leave only to attend the Torrance Community Theater, where he participated in such plays asTwo Plus Two Makes Sex andRomeo and Juliet.[10] The same year, he dropped out ofNarbonne High School inHarbor City.[13][14]
Career
1980–1989: Early jobs and screenplays
Through the 1980s, Tarantino had a number of jobs. After lying about his age, he worked as anusher at anadult movie theater in Torrance, called thePussycat Theater. He spent time as a recruiter in theaerospace industry, and for five years he worked atVideo Archives, a video store inManhattan Beach, California.[15][16] He was well known in the local community for his film knowledge and video recommendations; Tarantino stated, "When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, 'No, I went to films."[17][a] In 1986, Tarantino was employed in his first Hollywood job, working with Video Archives colleagueRoger Avary, asproduction assistants onDolph Lundgren's exercise video,Maximum Potential.[18]
Before working at Video Archives, Tarantino co-wroteLove Birds In Bondage with Scott Magill. Tarantino would go on to produce and direct the short film. Magill committed suicide in 1987, after which all film shot was destroyed.[19] Later, Tarantino attended acting classes at theJames Best Theatre Company, where he met several of his eventual collaborators for his next film.[20][21][b] In 1987, Tarantino co-wrote and directedMy Best Friend's Birthday (1987). It was left uncompleted, but some of its dialogue was included inTrue Romance.[24]
The following year, he played anElvis impersonator in "Sophia's Wedding: Part 1", an episode in thefourth season ofThe Golden Girls, which was broadcast on November 19, 1988.[25] Tarantino recalled that the pay he received for the part helped support him during the preproduction ofReservoir Dogs; he estimated he was initially paid about $650 but went on to receive about $3,000 inresiduals over three years because the episode was frequently rerun due to it being on a "best of..." lineup.[26]
1990–1999: Breakthrough and acclaim
Tarantino has had a number of collaborations with directorRobert Rodriguez.
After meetingLawrence Bender at a friend's barbecue, Tarantino discussed with him about an unwritten dialogue-drivenheist film. Bender encouraged Tarantino to write the screenplay, which he wrote in three and a half weeks and presented to Bender unformatted. Impressed with the script, Bender managed to forward it through contacts to directorMonte Hellman.[27] Hellman cleaned up the screenplay and helped secure funding fromRichard N. Gladstein at Live Entertainment (which later became Artisan, now known asLionsgate).[28]Harvey Keitel read the script and also contributed to the budget, taking a role as co-producer and also playing a major part in the picture. In January 1992, it was released as Tarantino's crime thrillerReservoir Dogs—which he wrote, directed, and acted in as Mr. Brown—and screened at theSundance Film Festival. The film was an immediate hit, receiving a positive response from critics.[c][29]
Tarantino's screenplayTrue Romance wasoptioned and the film was eventually released in 1993. The second script that Tarantino sold was for the filmNatural Born Killers, which was revised by Dave Veloz, Richard Rutowski and directorOliver Stone. Tarantino was given story credit and stated in an interview that he wished the film well, but later disowned the final film.[30][31] Tarantino also did an uncredited rewrite onIt's Pat (1994).[32][33] Other films where he was an uncredited screenwriter includeCrimson Tide (1995) andThe Rock (1996).[34]
Following the success ofReservoir Dogs, Tarantino was approached bymajor film studios and offered projects that includedSpeed (1994) andMen in Black (1997), but he instead retreated toAmsterdam to work on his script forPulp Fiction.[35][36] Tarantino wrote, directed, and acted in the dark comedy crime filmPulp Fiction in 1994,[37] maintaining the graphic depiction of violence from his earlier film as well as thenon-linear storylines. Tarantino received theAcademy Award for Best Original Screenplay, which he shared with Roger Avary, who contributed to the story. He also received a nomination in theBest Director category. The film received another five nominations, including forBest Picture. Tarantino also won thePalme d'Or for the film at the1994 Cannes Film Festival. The film grossed over $200 million[38] and earned positive reviews.[39][40]
In 1995, Tarantino participated in the anthology filmFour Rooms, a collaboration that also included directors Robert Rodriguez,Allison Anders and Alexandre Rockwell. Tarantino directed and acted in the fourth segment of "The Man from Hollywood", a tribute to theAlfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Man from the South".[41][42] He joined Rodriguez again later in the year with a supporting role inDesperado.[43][44] One of Tarantino's first paid writing assignments was forFrom Dusk till Dawn, which Rodriguez directed later in 1996, re-teaming with Tarantino in another acting role, alongside Harvey Keitel,George Clooney andJuliette Lewis.[45][46][d] His third feature film wasJackie Brown (1997), an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novelRum Punch. A homage toblaxploitation films, it starredPam Grier, who starred in many of the films of that genre in the 1970s. It received positive reviews and was called a "comeback" for Grier and co-starRobert Forster.[49] Leonard consideredJackie Brown to be his favorite of the 26 different screen adaptations of his novels and short stories.[50]
Tarantino went on to write and directKill Bill, a highly stylized "revenge flick" in the cinematic traditions ofChinese martial arts films,Japanese period dramas,Spaghetti Westerns, andItalian horror.[61] It was based on a character calledThe Bride and a plot that he andKill Bill's lead actressUma Thurman had developed during the making ofPulp Fiction.[62] It was originally set for a single theatrical release, but its four-hour running time prompted Tarantino to divide it into two movies.[63]: 1:02:10 Tarantino says he still considers it a single film in his overall filmography.[63]: 1:23:35 Volume 1 was released in 2003 andVolume 2 was released in 2004.[64][65]
Tarantino's filmInglourious Basterds, released in 2009, is the story of a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers inNazi-occupied France in an alternate history ofWorld War II.[74] He had planned to start work on the film afterJackie Brown but postponed this to makeKill Bill after a meeting with Uma Thurman.[75] Filming began on "Inglorious Bastards", as it was provisionally titled, in October 2008.[76] The film opened in August 2009 to positive reviews with the highest box office gross in the US and Canada for the weekend on release.[77] For the film, Tarantino received his second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.[78]
In 2011, production began onDjango Unchained, a film about the revenge of a formerslave in theSouthern United States in 1858. The film stemmed from Tarantino's desire to produce aSpaghetti Western set in America'sDeep South during theAntebellum Period. Tarantino called the proposed style "a southern",[79] stating that he wanted "to do movies that deal with America's horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they're genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it's ashamed of it, and other countries don't really deal with because they don't feel they have the right to".[79] It was released in December 2012 and became his highest grossing film to date.[80][81] He also received his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.[82]
In November 2013, Tarantino said he was working on a new film and that it would be another Western, though not a sequel toDjango Unchained.[83] On January 11, 2014, it was revealed that the film would be titledThe Hateful Eight.[84] The script was then leaked in January 2014.[85] Aggrieved by the breach of confidence, Tarantino considered abandoning the production which was due to start the next winter and publish it as a novel instead.[86] He stated that he had given the script to a few trusted colleagues, includingBruce Dern,Tim Roth andMichael Madsen.[87][88]On April 19, 2014, Tarantino directed a live reading of the leaked script at the United Artists Theater in theAce Hotel Los Angeles for theLive Read series.[89] Tarantino explained that they would read the first draft of the script, and added that he was writing two new drafts with a different ending.[90] Filming went ahead as planned with the new draft in January 2015.[91]The Hateful Eight was released on December 25, 2015, as aroadshow presentation in70 mm film-format theaters, before being released in digital theaters on December 30, 2015.[92] The film received mostly positive reviews from critics.[93]
In November 2022, Tarantino revealed plans to shoot an eight-episode television series in 2023. No further details were provided.[103] Tarantino later elaborated that this project wasThe Movie Critic, which he later adapted into a film script before deciding not to pursue the project in either format.[104] The film was set in 1977 and centered on a man who wrote movie reviews for a porn magazine.[105] He stated: "I was so excited about the writing, but I wasn’t really that excited about dramatizing what I wrote once we were in pre-production."[106]
Tenth and final film
In 2009, Tarantino said that he planned to retire from filmmaking when he is 60 to focus on writing novels and film literature. He is skeptical of the film industry going digital, saying, "If it actually gets to the place where you can't show35 mm film in theaters anymore and everything is digital projection, I won't even make it to 60."[107][108] He said though "not etched in stone" he intends to retire after making his tenth movie: "If I get to the 10th, do a good job and don't screw it up, well that sounds like a good way to end the old career."[109] In January 2025, at the2025 Sundance Film Festival, Tarantino said he was in "no hurry" to make his final film, preferring to wait at least a year, prioritizing to instead write a stage play.[110]
In 2001, he produced the US release of the Hong Kong martial arts filmIron Monkey, which made over $14 million worldwide.[113][114] In 2004, he brought the Chinese martial arts filmHero to the US. It opened at number-one at the box office and eventually earning $53.5 million.[115]
In 2006, another "Quentin Tarantino presents" production,Hostel, opened at number-one at the box office with a $20.1 million opening weekend.[117] He presented 2006'sThe Protector, and is a producer of the 2007 filmHostel: Part II.[118][119] In 2008, he produced theLarry Bishop-helmedHell Ride, a revenge biker film.[120]
As a film exhibitor
In February 2010, Tarantino bought theNew Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Tarantino allowed the previous owners to continue operating the theater, but stated he would make occasional programming suggestions. He was quoted as saying: "As long as I'm alive, and as long as I'm rich, the New Beverly will be there, showing films shot on 35 mm."[121] Starting in 2014, Tarantino took a more active role in programming film screenings at the New Beverly, showing his own films as well as prints from his personal collection.[122] In 2021, Tarantino announced that he had also purchased theVista Theatre in Los Angeles, stating that he intends to keep it a first-run theatre, and that like The New Beverly it will only show movies on film.[123]
In August 2007, while teaching in a four-hour film course during the9th Cinemanila International Film Festival inManila, Tarantino citedFilipino directorsCirio H. Santiago,Eddie Romero andGerardo de León as personal icons from the 1970s.[132] He referred to De Leon's "soul-shattering, life-extinguishing" movies on vampires and female bondage, citing in particularWomen in Cages; "It is just harsh, harsh, harsh", he said, and described the final shot as one of "devastating despair".[132] Upon his arrival in the Philippines, Tarantino was quoted in the local newspaper as saying, "I'm a big fan of RP [Republic of the Philippines] cinema."[133]
Style
Tarantino's films often featuregraphic violence, a tendency which has sometimes been criticized.[134][135][136]Reservoir Dogs was initially denied United Kingdom certification because of his use of torture as entertainment.[137] Tarantino has frequently defended his use of violence, saying that "violence is so good. It affects audiences in a big way".[138] When questioned in an interview forKill Bill: Volume 1 why his movies contained so much graphic violence, he responded, "Because it's so much fun!"[139] The number of expletives and deaths in Tarantino's films were measured by analytics websiteFiveThirtyEight. In the examples given by the site, "Reservoir Dogs features 'just' 10 on-screen deaths, but 421 profanities.Django Unchained, on the other hand, has 'just' 262 profanities but 47 deaths."[140] He often blends aesthetic elements, in tribute to his favorite films and filmmakers. InKill Bill, he melds comic strip formulas and visuals within a live action film sequence, in some cases by the literal use of cartoon oranime images.[141][142]
Tarantino has also occasionally used a non-linear story structure in his films, most notably withPulp Fiction. He has also used the style inReservoir Dogs,Kill Bill, andThe Hateful Eight.[143] Tarantino's script forTrue Romance was originally told in a non-linear style, before director Tony Scott decided to use a more linear approach.[144][145] Critics have since referred to the use of this shifting timeline in films as the "Tarantino Effect".[146] ActorSteve Buscemi has described Tarantino's novel style of filmmaking as "bursting with energy" and "focused".[147] According to Tarantino, a hallmark of all his movies is that there is a different sense of humor in each one, which prompts the viewer to laugh at scenes that are not funny.[148] However, he insists that his films are dramas, not comedies.[149]
Tarantino's use of dialogue is noted for its mundane conversations with popular culture references. For example, when Jules and Vincent inPulp Fiction are driving to ahit, they talk about Vincent's trip to Europe, discussing the differences in countries such as aMcDonald's "Quarter Pounder with Cheese" being called a "Royale with Cheese" in France because of themetric system. In the opening scene toReservoir Dogs, Mr. Brown (played by Tarantino) interprets the meaning ofMadonna's song "Like a Virgin". InJackie Brown, Jackie and Max chat over a cup of coffee while listening to avinyl record by theDelfonics' "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)".[150][151]
Tarantino has said that his films take place in one of two cinematic universes, one being the more realistically grounded world of films likeReservoir Dogs andPulp Fiction, and the other being a meta-fictional narrative which Tarantino says represents the kind of films the characters in his main cinematic universe would watch, which separates films such asFrom Dusk till Dawn andKill Bill from Tarantino's primary narrative.[152] He also creates his own products and brands that he uses in his films to varying degrees.[153] His own fictional brands, including "Acuña Boys Tex-Mex Food", "Big Kahuna Burger", "G.O. Juice", "Jack Rabbit Slim's", "K-Billy", "Red Apple cigarettes", "Tenku Brand Beer" and "Teriyaki Donut", replace the use ofproduct placement, sometimes to a humorous extent.[154][142] Tarantino is also known for his choice of music in his films,[155] including soundtracks that often use songs from the 1960s and 70s.[156][157][158] In 2011, he was recognized at the16th Critics' Choice Awards with the inaugural Music+Film Award.[159][160]
A recurring image in his films are scenes where women's bare feet feature prominently. When asked aboutfoot fetishism, Tarantino responded, "I don't take it seriously. There's a lot of feet in a lot of good directors' movies. That's just good direction. Like, before me, the person foot fetishism was defined by wasLuis Buñuel, another film director. AndAlfred Hitchcock was accused of it andSofia Coppola has been accused of it."[161][162]
Tarantino has stated in many interviews that his writing process is like writing a novel before formatting it into a script, saying that this creates the blueprint of the film and makes the film feel like literature. About his writing process he told website The Talks, "My head is a sponge. I listen to what everyone says, I watch little idiosyncratic behavior, people tell me a joke and I remember it. People tell me an interesting story in their life and I remember it. ... when I go and write my new characters, my pen is like an antenna, it gets that information, and all of a sudden these characters come out more or less fully formed. I don't write their dialogue, I get them talking to each other."[163]
Collaborators
Tarantino with actorsMargot Robbie,Leonardo DiCaprio, andBrad Pitt forOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film considered as having "his biggest cast yet" with "A-list stars, seventies icons, and veteran Tarantino collaborators".[164][165]Samuel L. Jackson (pictured in 2017) has been one of Tarantino's most frequent and notable collaborators, with him appearing in 6 of his films.
Tarantino has built up an informal "repertory company" of actors who have appeared in many roles in his films.[166][167] Most notable of these is Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in five films directed by Tarantino and a sixth written by him,True Romance.[168][169] Other frequent collaborators include Uma Thurman, who has been featured in three films and whom Tarantino has described as his "muse";Zoë Bell, who has acted or performed stunts in seven Tarantino films; Michael Madsen, James Parks and Tim Roth, who respectively appear in five, four and three films. In addition, Roth appeared inFour Rooms, an anthology film where Tarantino directed the final segment, and filmed a scene forOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood before it was cut for time.[169][170][171]
Leonardo DiCaprio andBrad Pitt have each appeared in two Tarantino films, the second of which,Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, they appear in together.[172][173] Like Jackson, Pitt also appeared in the Tarantino-pennedTrue Romance.Christoph Waltz appeared in two Tarantino films,Inglourious Basterds andDjango Unchained, winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for each role. Waltz had been working as an actor since the 1970s in numerous German movies and TV shows but was a relative unknown in America when he was cast as Hans Landa in his first film for Tarantino.[174][175]
EditorSally Menke, who worked on all Tarantino films until her death in 2010, was described by Tarantino in 2007 as "hands down my number one collaborator".[176][177]
In 1997,Spike Lee questioned Tarantino's use of racial slurs in his films, especially theN-word, particularly inPulp Fiction andJackie Brown.[178] In aVariety interview discussingJackie Brown, Lee said, "I'm not against the word ... And some people speak that way, but Quentin is infatuated with that word... I want Quentin to know that all African Americans do not think that word is trendy or slick."[179] Tarantino responded onThe Charlie Rose Show:
As a writer, I demand the right to write any character in the world that I want to write. I demand the right to be them, I demand the right to think them and I demand the right to tell the truth as I see they are, all right? And to say that I can't do that because I'm white, but theHughes brothers can do that because they're black, that is racist. That is the heart of racism, all right. And I do not accept that ... That is how a segment of the black community that lives inCompton, lives inInglewood, whereJackie Brown takes place, that lives inCarson, that is how they talk. I'm telling the truth. It would not be questioned if I was black, and I resent the question because I'm white. I have the right to tell the truth. I do not have the right to lie.[180]
Tarantino said onThe Howard Stern Show that Lee would have to "stand on a chair to kiss [his] ass."[181] Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in both directors' films, defended Tarantino. At theBerlin Film Festival, whereJackie Brown was screened, Jackson said: "I don't think the word is offensive in the context of this film ... Black artists think they are the only ones allowed to use the word. Well, that's bull.Jackie Brown is a wonderful homage toblack exploitation films. This is a good film, and Spike hasn't made one of those in a few years."[182] Tarantino argued that black audiences appreciated his blaxploitation-influenced films more than some of his critics, and thatJackie Brown was primarily made for black audiences.[183]
Django Unchained was the subject of controversy because of its use of racial slurs and depiction of slavery. Reviewers defended the use of the language by pointing out the historic context of race and slavery in America.[184][185] Lee, in an interview withVibe, said that he would not see the film: "All I'm going to say is that it's disrespectful to my ancestors. That's just me ... I'm not speaking on behalf of anybody else."[186] Lee later tweeted: "American slavery was not a Sergio Leone spaghetti western. It was a holocaust. My ancestors are slaves. Stolen from Africa. I will honor them."[187]
In a 2003 Howard Stern interview, Tarantino defended the directorRoman Polanski against charges that Polanski had raped then-13-year-old Samantha Geimer in 1977. He said that Polanski's actions were "not rape" and Geimer "...wanted to have it".[188] The interview resurfaced in 2018 and drew criticism, including from Geimer, who stated in an interview, "He was wrong. I bet he knows it... I hope he doesn't make an ass of himself and keep talking that way."[189] Within days of the interview resurfacing, Tarantino issued an apology, stating "Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was... I incorrectly playeddevil's advocate in the debate for the sake of being provocative."[190]
On October 18, 2017, Tarantino gave an interview discussing sexual harassment and assault allegations against producerHarvey Weinstein. Tarantino said his then-girlfriendMira Sorvino told him in the mid-1990s about her experience with Weinstein. Tarantino confronted Weinstein at the time and received an apology.[191] Tarantino said: "What I did was marginalize the incidents. I knew enough to do more than I did."[191]
On February 3, 2018, in an interview withThe New York Times,Kill Bill actress Uma Thurman said Weinstein had sexually assaulted her, and that she had reported this to Tarantino. Tarantino said he confronted Weinstein, as he had previously when Weinstein made advances on his former partner, demanding he apologize. He banned him from contact with Thurman for the remainder of the film's production.[192] In a June 2021 interview on theJoe Rogan Experience podcast, Tarantino said he regretted not pressing Weinstein further, saying he did not know the extent of his misconduct before the 2017 scandal. He remarked on his "sad" view of his past relationship with Weinstein, saying he once looked up to him for fostering his career and describing him as "a fucked up father figure".[193]
Altercations with industry peers
In 1993, Tarantino sold his script forNatural Born Killers, which was rewritten, giving him only a story credit. He later disowned the film, which causedenmity and resulted in the publication of a "tell-all" book titledKiller Instinct byJane Hamsher—who, withDon Murphy, had an original option on the screenplay and produced the film—calling Tarantino a "one-trick pony" and becoming "famous for being famous." Tarantino physically assaulted Murphy in the AGO restaurant in West Hollywood, California in October 1997.[194] Murphy subsequently filed a $5 million lawsuit against Tarantino; the case ended with the judge ordering Tarantino to pay Murphy $450.[195][196]
In 1994, Tarantino had an on-set feud withDenzel Washington during the filming ofCrimson Tide over what was described as "Tarantino's racist dialogue added to the script". A few years later Washington apologized to Tarantino saying he "buried that hatchet".[197]
In 1997, during the Oscars ceremony, Tarantino was accompanyingMira Sorvino when the then-MTV News host,Chris Connelly, called over to Sorvino from themedia scrum. Before she could talk to Connelly, Tarantino grabbed Sorvino telling her, "He's the editor ofPremiere and he did a story on my Dad," and pulled her away. Connelly, a formerPremiere magazine editor-in-chief said, "No, I didn't." As they walked off, Tarantino gave the journalistthe finger saying "Fuck you!" and spat at him.[198][199] The article that angered Tarantino included a 1995 interview from a biography byJami Bernard with his biological father, Tony Tarantino, someone he had never met, which he considered "pretty tasteless".[200]
In 2009, Tarantino was set to appear on the talk showLate Show with David Letterman to promoteInglourious Basterds. A few years prior to this event,David Letterman had interviewed a former "unnamed" girlfriend of Tarantino on his show. Letterman joked about the relationship questioning why a "glorious movie star" would date a "little squirrelly guy". A couple of days later, Tarantino phoned Letterman, screaming angrily, "I'm going to beat you to death! I'm going to kill you! I'm coming to New York, and I'm gonna beat the crap out of you! How can you say that about me?!"[201] Letterman offered to pay for Tarantino's flight and let him choose the method of fighting, which Tarantino determined would be "bats". However, Letterman never heard from Tarantino again, until years later, when he came on the show to promote the new film. The host approached Tarantino in the make-up room, just before the show went live, and demanded an apology. Tarantino was not forthcoming, but at hispublicist's urging, he begrudgingly conceded.[202]
In 2013, during an interview withKrishnan Guru-Murthy onChannel 4 News while promotingDjango Unchained in the UK, Tarantino reacted angrily when he was questioned about whether there was a link between movie violence and real-life violence. He informed Guru-Murthy that he had commented on the subject many times before and did not need to explain again, therefore was "shutting [his] butt down".[203] Tarantino further defied the journalist, saying: "I refuse your question. I'm not your slave and you're not my master. You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey."[204]
In 2019, during the Cannes Film Festival, at theOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood press conference, a journalist asked why Margot Robbie had so few lines in the film. Tarantino responded indignantly "I just reject your hypothesis", with no further comment.[205]
Film criticisms
In June 2020, Tarantino became an officially recognized critic on thereview aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes where his reviews are part of the "Tomatometer" rating.[206][207] He has since published over 30 film reviews, including director essays, on hisNew Beverly Cinema website.[208]
Tarantino has opined thatSteven Spielberg'sJaws is "the greatest movie of all time. Maybe not the best film, but the best movie ever made". He commented further that his "favourite Spielberg-directed movie, again withJaws carved out on its own Mount Rushmore, isIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ... He pushes the envelope, he createsPG-13; a movie so fucking badass it created a new level in theMPAA."[213][214]
In June 2021, Tarantino announced plans to start apodcast with Roger Avary. The podcast is named afterVideo Archives, avideo rental store that both directors worked at prior to their film careers, and features the directors and occasional guests examining a film which could have been offered for rental at the store.[219] The podcast premiered on July 19, 2022.[220]
Personal life
Relationships and marriage
In the early 1990s, Tarantino dated comediansMargaret Cho andKathy Griffin. From 1995 to 1998, he dated actressMira Sorvino and was her date at the68th Oscars ceremony where she won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In March 1998 they separated, with Sorvino releasing a statement that "[We] still love each other very much" but had reached a "mutual decision to go their separate ways."[221] From 2003 to 2005, Tarantino was in a romantic relationship with filmmakerSofia Coppola. The two have remained friends since their breakup.[222]
On June 30, 2017, Tarantino became engaged to Israeli singerDaniella Pick, daughter of musicianZvika Pick. They met in 2009 when Tarantino was in Israel to promoteInglourious Basterds.[223] They married on November 28, 2018, in aReform Jewish ceremony in their Beverly Hills Home.[224][225] As of January 2020, they were splitting their time between theRamat Aviv Gimel neighborhood ofTel Aviv and Los Angeles.[226] As a result, he is trying to learnHebrew.[227] On February 22, 2020, their son was born in Israel.[228][229][230] On July 3, 2022, their second child, a daughter, was also born inIsrael.[231][232]
Tarantino has a maternal half-brother, and three paternal half-siblings.[233][failed verification]
As a youth, Tarantino attended anEvangelical church, describing himself as "baptized,born again and everything in between". Tarantino said this was an act of rebellion against hisCatholic mother as she had encouraged what might usually be considered more conventional forms of rebellion, such as his interests in comic books and horror films. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Tarantino was evasive about his religious beliefs but said he believed in God, whom he credited with giving him his writing ability.[239]
In the 2010s, Tarantino continued ascribing his talents to gifts from God but expressed uncertainty regarding God's existence. "I think I was born Catholic, but I was never practiced," said Tarantino. "As time has gone on, as I've become a man and made my way further as an adult, I'm not sure how much any of that I believe in. I don't really know if I believe in God, especially not in this Santa Claus character that people seemed to have conjured up."[240][241] In June 2021, Tarantino said he was anatheist.[242]
Views on gun violence and police brutality
Tarantino has said he does not believe that violence in film inspires real acts of violence.[243] In an interview withTerry Gross, Tarantino expressed "annoyance" at the suggestion that there is a link between the two, saying, "I think it's disrespectful to [the] memory of those who died to talk about movies ... Obviously the issue is gun control and mental health."[244]
In October 2015, Tarantino attended a rally held in New York protestingpolice brutality. The event aimed to call attention to "police brutality and its victims". At the event Tarantino made a speech, "I'm a human being with a conscience ... And when I see murder I cannot stand by. And I have to call the murdered the murdered and I have to call the murderers the murderers."[245]
As a response to Tarantino's comments police unions across the United States called for a boycott of his upcoming film at the time,The Hateful Eight.Patrick J. Lynch, union president of thePolice Benevolent Association of the City of New York, said, "It's no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too. The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls 'murderers' aren't living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies — they're risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem."[245] TheLos Angeles Police Department ChiefCharlie Beck said Tarantino "doesn't understand the nature of the violence. Mr. Tarantino lives in a fantasy world. That's how he makes his living. His movies are extremely violent, but he doesn't understand violence. … Unfortunately, he mistakes lawful use of force for murder, and it's not."[246]
Tarantino's response to this criticism was, "All cops are not murderers ... I never said that. I never even implied that."[245] In anMSNBC interview withChris Hayes, he said, "Just because I was at an anti-police brutality protest doesn't mean I'm anti-police."[247] He clarified his protest comments, "We were at a rally where unarmed people – mostly black and brown – who have been shot and killed or beaten or strangled by the police, and I was obviously referring to the people in those types of situations. I was referring toEric Garner, I was referring toSam DuBose, I was referring to Antonio Guzman Lopez, I was referring toTamir Rice ... In those cases in particular that we're talking about, I actually do believe that they were murder [sic]."[248]
Tarantino at theInglourious Basterds premiere in Leicester Square, July 23, 2009
Tarantino has stated that he plans to make a total of just ten films before retiring as a director, as a means of ensuring an overall high quality within his filmography. He believes "most directors have horrible last movies," that ending on a "decent movie is rare," and that ending on a "good movie is kind of phenomenal."[249] Tarantino considersKill Bill: Volume 1 andKill Bill: Volume 2 to be a single movie.[250] While he wrote and produced 2026 film,The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a sequel toOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood set in 1977, he chose not to direct it, instead he handed the project toDavid Fincher, whom he calls "one of the two best directors".[251]
Tarantino and his films have received numerous nominations for major awards, including Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards,Directors Guild of America Awards, andSaturn Awards. He has won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay twice, forPulp Fiction andDjango Unchained. He has been nominated four times for thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival, winning once forPulp Fiction in 1994. In addition to his recognition for writing and directing films, Tarantino has received fiveGrammy Award nominations and aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination.
During his career, Tarantino's films have garnered acult following, as well as critical and commercial success.[2][256] In 2005, he was included on the annualTime 100 list of the most influential people in the world.[257] He was also onThe Daily Telegraph list of "Top 100 Living Geniuses" in 2007.[258] Filmmaker and historianPeter Bogdanovich has called him "the single most influential director of his generation".[259][260] Tarantino has received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry.[261]
In 2013, a survey of seventeen academics was carried out to discover which filmmakers had been referenced the most in essays and dissertations on film that had been marked in the previous five years. It revealed that Tarantino was the most-studied director in the United Kingdom, ahead of Alfred Hitchcock,Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.[262]
Directed Academy Award performances Under Tarantino's direction, these actors have receivedAcademy Award nominations (and wins) for their performances in their respective roles.
^ActorDanny Strong describes Tarantino as "such a movie buff. He had so much knowledge of films that he would try to get people to watch really cool movies."[16]
^While at James Best, Tarantino also met Craig Hamann, with whom he would collaborate to produce his second film in 1987.[22][23]
^Keitel heard of the script through his wife, who had attended a class with Lawrence Bender (seeReservoir Dogs special edition DVD commentary).[full citation needed]
^Robert Kurtzman hired Tarantino to write the script forFrom Dusk till Dawn in exchange for the make-up effects onReservoir Dogs.[47][48]
^Goldberg, Jeffrey (September 1, 2009)."Hollywood's Jewish Avenger".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. RetrievedAugust 28, 2022.
^Fuller, Graham (1998). "Graham Fuller/1993". In Peary, Gerald (ed.).Quentin Tarantino: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 57–59.ISBN978-1-57806-051-1.
^Curtis, Jamie Lee; Keach, Stacy; McLean, Greg; and Quentin Tarantino (2008).Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (Documentary). City Films Worldwide.
^Kron 4 (September 18, 2021)."Because its so much fun, Jan!".youtube.com.Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 10, 2024.Because it's so much fun, Jan!{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^abSuzanne-Mayer, Dominick; Czysz, Alex; Goble, Blake; Roffman, Michael; Melis, Matt (January 11, 2016)."FACES: Quentin Tarantino".Consequence of Sound.Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. RetrievedMarch 8, 2019.
^Berg, Charles Ramírez (2006). "A Taxonomy of Alternative Plots in Recent Films: Classifying the "Tarantino Effect"".Film Criticism.31 (1/2):5–61.ISSN0163-5069.JSTOR44019213.
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