Editing Quentin Tarantino (section)

== Controversies ==
{{Criticism section|date=May 2025}}

=== Spike Lee criticisms ===
In 1997, [[Spike Lee]] questioned Tarantino's use of racial slurs in his films, especially the [[nigger|N-word]], particularly in ''Pulp Fiction'' and ''Jackie Brown''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/lee-has-choice-words-for-tarantino-111779698/ |title=Lee has choice words for Tarantino |last=Archerd |first=Army |date=December 16, 1997 |website=Variety |access-date=March 9, 2019 |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401063855/https://variety.com/1997/voices/columns/lee-has-choice-words-for-tarantino-111779698/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' interview discussing ''Jackie Brown'', Lee said, "I'm not against the word ... And some people speak that way, but Quentin is infatuated with that word{{nbsp}}... I want Quentin to know that all African Americans do not think that word is trendy or slick."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/04.09.98/cover/nigger-9814.html |last=Allen-Taylor |first=J. Douglas |title=New Word Order |publisher=Metroactive.com |date=April 9, 1998 |access-date=October 23, 2008 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714080713/http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/04.09.98/cover/nigger-9814.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tarantino responded on ''[[Charlie Rose (talk show)|The Charlie Rose Show]]'':

{{blockquote|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 the [[Hughes 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&nbsp;... That is how a segment of the black community that lives in [[Compton, California|Compton]], lives in [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]], where ''Jackie Brown'' takes place, that lives in [[Carson, California|Carson]], 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/5166 |title=Quentin Tarantino defends himself against Spike Lee for criticizing him in using the 'n-word'. |publisher=CharlieRose.com |date=December 26, 1997 |access-date=January 30, 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123232730/http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/5166 |archive-date=January 23, 2012 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>|}}

Tarantino said on ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'' that Lee would have to "stand on a chair to kiss [his] ass".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertschnakenberg.com/?page_id=4 |last=Schnakenberg |first=Robert |title=Secret Lives of Great Filmmakers: Spike Lee |access-date=April 8, 2010 |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418143224/http://www.robertschnakenberg.com/?page_id=4 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in both directors' films, defended Tarantino. At the [[Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin Film Festival]], where ''Jackie Brown'' was screened, Jackson said: "I don't think the word is offensive in the context of this film&nbsp;... Black artists think they are the only ones allowed to use the word. Well, that's bull. ''Jackie Brown'' is a wonderful homage to [[Blaxploitation|black exploitation films]]. This is a good film, and Spike hasn't made one of those in a few years."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NT0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |title=Samuel L. Jackson Blasts Spike Lee For Criticizing Him For Using 'N-Word' in 'Jackie Brown' |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |page=36 |volume=93 |number=15 |date=March 9, 1998 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=May 9, 2020 |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116213144/https://books.google.com/books?id=NT0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36 |url-status=live }}</ref> Tarantino argued that black audiences appreciated his blaxploitation-influenced films more than some of his critics, and that ''Jackie Brown'' was primarily made for black audiences.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1998/jan/05/quentintarantino.guardianinterviewsatbfisouthbank |title=Quentin Tarantino interview (III) with Pam Grier, Robert Forster and Lawrence Bender |work=The Guardian |date=January 5, 1998 |access-date=December 12, 2016 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305104836/http://www.theguardian.com/film/1998/jan/05/quentintarantino.guardianinterviewsatbfisouthbank |url-status=live }}</ref>

''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.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |title=Django Unchained: Film Review |date=December 11, 2012 |first=Todd |last=McCarthy |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/django-unchained/review/399663 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=December 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217162406/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/django-unchained/review/399663 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Django Unchained and Race: Here's What Drudge Doesn't Tell You |url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/12/django_unchaine.php |work=[[The Village Voice]] |access-date=December 18, 2012|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216005936/http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/12/django_unchaine.php |archive-date=December 16, 2012}}</ref> Lee, in an interview with ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'', 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."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Spike Lee slams Django Unchained:'I'm not Gonna See It' |magazine=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] |access-date=December 24, 2012 |date=December 21, 2012 |url=http://www.vibe.com/article/spike-lee-slams-django-unchained-im-not-gonna-see-it |archive-date=December 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230180658/http://www.vibe.com/article/spike-lee-slams-django-unchained-im-not-gonna-see-it |url-status=live }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite tweet |author=Spike Lee|user=SpikeLee |number=282611091777941504 |date=December 22, 2012 |title=American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.It Was A Holocaust.My Ancestors Are Slaves.Stolen From Africa.I Will Honor Them. |access-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140909171436/https://twitter.com/SpikeLee/status/282611091777941504 |archive-date=September 9, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein ===
{{Main|Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases}}

In a 2003 Howard Stern interview, Tarantino defended the director [[Roman 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".<ref>{{cite web| url = https://jezebel.com/heres-audio-of-quentin-tarantino-defending-roman-polans-1822745916| title = Here's Audio of Quentin Tarantino Defending Roman Polanski: 13-Year-Old Girl 'Wanted to Have It' [UPDATED]| last = Davies| first = Madeleine| date = February 5, 2018| website = jezebel.com| access-date = July 14, 2022| archive-date = August 9, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220809193213/https://jezebel.com/heres-audio-of-quentin-tarantino-defending-roman-polans-1822745916| url-status = live}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tarantino-wrong-polanski-rape-consensual-geimer-article-1.3803904| title = Tarantino wrong to say Polanski rape was consensual, says victim Samantha Geimer| last = Dillon| first = Nancy| date = February 6, 2018| website = nydailynews.com| access-date = July 14, 2022| archive-date = July 14, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220714202415/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tarantino-wrong-polanski-rape-consensual-geimer-article-1.3803904| url-status = live}}</ref> Within days of the interview resurfacing, Tarantino issued an apology, stating "Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was... I incorrectly played [[devil's advocate]] in the debate for the sake of being provocative."<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=February 8, 2018|title=Quentin Tarantino Is Really Sorry for Defending Roman Polanski|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-roman-polanski-apology|access-date=February 19, 2022|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en-US|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414223823/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-roman-polanski-apology|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 18, 2017, Tarantino gave an interview discussing sexual harassment and assault allegations against producer [[Harvey Weinstein]]. Tarantino said his then-girlfriend [[Mira Sorvino]] told him in the mid-1990s about her experience with Weinstein. Tarantino confronted Weinstein at the time and received an apology.<ref name="Kantor A17">{{cite news |last=Kantor |first=Jodi |title=Tarantino on Weinstein: 'I Knew Enough to Do More Than I Did' |work=The New York Times |date=October 19, 2017 |page=A17 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/movies/tarantino-weinstein.html |access-date=October 21, 2017 |archive-date=November 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171102013159/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/movies/tarantino-weinstein.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Tarantino said: "What I did was marginalize the incidents. I knew enough to do more than I did."<ref name="Kantor A17" />

On February 3, 2018, in an interview with ''[[The 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.<ref name="Fleming Jr.">{{cite news |url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-uma-thurman-harvey-weinstein-kill-bill-car-crash-new-york-times-1202278988/ |title=Quentin Tarantino on Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Crash & Harvey Weinstein |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=February 5, 2018 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-date=January 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128041859/https://deadline.com/2018/02/quentin-tarantino-uma-thurman-harvey-weinstein-kill-bill-car-crash-new-york-times-1202278988/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In a June 2021 interview on the ''[[The Joe Rogan Experience|Joe 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".<ref>{{cite web|date=June 29, 2021|title=Quentin Tarantino says "father figure" Harvey Weinstein's harassment was known by "everybody"|url=https://www.newsweek.com/quentin-tarantino-says-father-figure-harvey-weinsteins-harassment-was-known-everybody-1605392|access-date=July 5, 2021|website=Newsweek|language=en|archive-date=July 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705133007/https://www.newsweek.com/quentin-tarantino-says-father-figure-harvey-weinsteins-harassment-was-known-everybody-1605392|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Altercations with industry peers ===
In 1993, Tarantino sold his script for ''[[Natural Born Killers]],'' which was rewritten, giving him only a story credit. He later disowned the film, which caused [[Enemy|enmity]] and resulted in the publication of a "[[unauthorized biography|tell-all]]" book titled ''Killer Instinct'' by [[Jane Hamsher]]—who, with [[Don 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/news/murphy-sues-tarantino-after-talk-show-sesh-111661752/ |title=Murphy sues Tarantino after talk show sesh |last=Petrikin |first=Chris |date=November 18, 1997 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=March 12, 2019 |archive-date=April 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401072119/https://variety.com/1997/film/news/murphy-sues-tarantino-after-talk-show-sesh-111661752/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Murphy subsequently filed a $5 million lawsuit against Tarantino; the case ended with the judge ordering Tarantino to pay Murphy $450.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://movies.eonline.com/News/Court/1197.tarantino.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823221603/http://movies.eonline.com/News/Court/1197.tarantino.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=August 23, 2000 |title=E! Online – News – Celeb Courthouse |date=August 23, 2000 |access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McCann |first=Paul |title=Quentin Tarantino in $5M Assault Claim |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |date=November 18, 1997 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/quentin-tarantino-in-5m-assault-claim-1294720.html |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027030838/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/quentin-tarantino-in-5m-assault-claim-1294720.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1994, Tarantino had an on-set feud with [[Denzel Washington]] during the filming of ''[[Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson 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".<ref>{{cite web |last=Hainey |first=Michael |title=Denzel Washington GQ October 2012 Cover Story |url=https://www.gq.com/story/denzel-washington-interview-gq-october-2012 |website=GQ |date=September 18, 2012 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925052416/https://www.gq.com/story/denzel-washington-interview-gq-october-2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1997, during the Oscars ceremony, Tarantino was accompanying [[Mira Sorvino]] when the then-[[MTV News]] host, [[Chris Connelly (journalist)|Chris Connelly]], called over to Sorvino from the [[media scrum]]. Before she could talk to Connelly, Tarantino grabbed Sorvino telling her, "He's the editor of ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' and he did a story on my Dad," and pulled her away. Connelly, a former ''Premiere'' magazine editor-in-chief said, "No, I didn't." As they walked off, Tarantino gave the journalist [[the finger]] saying "Fuck you!" and spat at him.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barnard |first=T.J. |title=Tarantino Unchained: His 5 Most Bizarre Meltdowns |url=https://whatculture.com/film/tarantino-meltdowns?page=4 |website=WhatCulture.com |language=en |date=January 13, 2013 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925053523/https://whatculture.com/film/tarantino-meltdowns?page=4 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Quentin Tarantino Spits On A Reporter – video Dailymotion |url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ofeh |website=Dailymotion |language=en |date=March 11, 2008 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925053523/https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ofeh |url-status=live }}</ref> The article that angered Tarantino included a 1995 interview from a biography by [[Jami Bernard]] with his biological father, Tony Tarantino, someone he had never met, which he considered "pretty tasteless".<ref>{{cite news |last=Parker |first=Ryan |title=Quentin Tarantino Opens Up About Estranged Father |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/quentin-tarantino-opens-up-estranged-father-tony-1234974677/ |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=June 28, 2021 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925053523/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/quentin-tarantino-opens-up-estranged-father-tony-1234974677/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2009, Tarantino was set to appear on the talk show ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'' to promote ''Inglourious 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?!"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carbone |first1=Gina |title=David Letterman Recalls Quentin Tarantino Threatening To Kill Him Over A Dating Joke |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2489899/david-letterman-recalls-quentin-tarantino-threatening-to-kill-him-over-a-dating-joke |website=CinemaBlend |language=en |date=February 9, 2020 |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925062221/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2489899/david-letterman-recalls-quentin-tarantino-threatening-to-kill-him-over-a-dating-joke |url-status=live }}</ref> Letterman offered to pay for Tarantino's flight and let him choose the method of fighting, which Tarantino determined would be "[[Baseball bat|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 his [[publicist]]'s urging, he begrudgingly conceded.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Byrne |first1=Suzy |title=David Letterman says his most famous feud was with Quentin Tarantino, who he claims threatened to kill him |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-letterman-famous-feud-quentin-tarantino-171557825.html?guccounter=2 |date=February 7, 2020 |work=yahoo.com |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925062221/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-letterman-famous-feud-quentin-tarantino-171557825.html?guccounter=2 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, during an interview with [[Krishnan Guru-Murthy]] on ''[[Channel 4 News]]'' while promoting ''Django 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".<ref>{{cite news |title=Quentin Tarantino yells at interviewer when asked about movie violence |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/quentin-tarantino-yells-at-interviewer-when-asked-about-movie-violence/ |access-date=January 20, 2013 |publisher=[[Fox News]] |date=January 11, 2013 |archive-date=November 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107035223/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/01/11/quentin-tarantino-yells-at-interviewer-when-asked-about-movie-violence/ |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hough |first1=Andrew |title=Quentin Tarantino in furious rant over Django Unchained violence questions |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9794854/Quentin-Tarantino-in-furious-rant-over-Django-Unchained-violence-questions.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9794854/Quentin-Tarantino-in-furious-rant-over-Django-Unchained-violence-questions.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=January 17, 2017 |date=January 11, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2019, during the Cannes Film Festival, at the ''Once 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.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mumford |first=Gwilym |title='I reject your hypothesis': Tarantino lashes out at criticism over female actors |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/22/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-tarantino-lashes-out-at-criticism-over-female-actors |work=the Guardian |date=May 22, 2019 |language=en |access-date=September 25, 2022 |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821233029/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/22/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-tarantino-lashes-out-at-criticism-over-female-actors |url-status=live }}</ref>