Quentin Tarantino Thinks Black Movie Critics Care Too Much About ‘Color of a Writer’s Skin’
“When the black critics came out with savage think pieces about ‘Django,’ I couldn’t have cared less,” the “Hateful Eight” director says
Joe Otterson | October 13, 2015 @ 8:39 AM
Last Updated: October 13, 2015 @ 9:49 AM
Quentin Tarantino doesn’t sweat complaints about his films from critics, but even the celebrated auteur was taken aback by the response he got from those who weren’t unhappy with “Django Unchained,” a Western about a former slave taking on a deranged plantation owner.
“In a lot of the more ugly pieces, my motives were really brought to bear in the most negative way,” Tarantino told the New York Times. “It’s like I’m some supervillain coming up with this stuff.”
”If you sift through the criticism, you’ll see it’s pretty evenly divided between pros and cons. But when the black critics came out with savage think pieces about ‘Django,’ I couldn’t have cared less,” he said.
“If people don’t like my movies, they don’t like my movies, and if they don’t get it, it doesn’t matter,” he continued “The bad taste that was left in my mouth had to do with this: It’s been a long time since the subject of a writer’s skin was mentioned as often as mine. You wouldn’t think the color of a writer’s skin should have any effect on the words themselves.”
But Tarantino doesn’t plan on shying away from controversial material anytime soon, like in his upcoming film “The Hateful Eight.”
”This is the best time to push buttons,” he said. ”This is the best time to get out there because there actually is a genuine platform. Now it’s being talked about.”
New 'Hateful Eight' Images: Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell Face Off, Bruce Dern Cringes (Photos)
New images from Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Western "The Hateful Eight" show Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson facing off in what appears to be a very tense moment.
The photo featuring bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) aiming a rifle on Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) were released as part of the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which hits newsstands on Friday. The cover, released Thursday, was the first Tarantino fans had seen of the cast in costume.
The film follows eight gunslingers in the Old West who get trapped in a cabin together when a fierce blizzard hits. In addition to Russell and Jackson, the film also stars Michael Madsen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir and Walton Goggins.
Another photo, which offers the first look at Oscar nominee Dern ("Nebraska") in character, suggests there will be singing involved, and Dern's character won't like it.
Tarantino almost scrapped the project altogether after the script leaked online. However, he reconsidered after a live-table read, where the cast got an overwhelmingly positive reception.
See two more images below. Click here to see the rest of the photos or pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
The Only 8 Western Comedies That Hollywood Has Made Since 1990 (Photos)
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
Wild Wild West - Warner Bros 1999. Worldwide Box Office: $355,390,641
Wagons East! - Sony 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $8,581,812
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold - Columbia 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $84,844,038
Almost Heroes - Warner Bros 1998. Worldwide Box Office: $10,638,089
City Slickers - Sony 1991. Worldwide Box Office: $345,735,088
Maverick - Warner Bros 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $355,991,445
Back to the Future Part III - Universal 1990. Worldwide Box Office: $469,978,546
1 of 8
The western has been a major movie genre since Hollywood’s inception, but the western comedy has rarely been a central player. These are the movies that have earned a greenlight over the past couple decades.
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
The next Quentin Tarantino film follows eight Wild West gunslingers trapped in a snowbound cabin
New images from Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Western "The Hateful Eight" show Kurt Russell and Samuel L. Jackson facing off in what appears to be a very tense moment.
The photo featuring bounty hunter John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell) aiming a rifle on Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) were released as part of the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which hits newsstands on Friday. The cover, released Thursday, was the first Tarantino fans had seen of the cast in costume.
The film follows eight gunslingers in the Old West who get trapped in a cabin together when a fierce blizzard hits. In addition to Russell and Jackson, the film also stars Michael Madsen, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir and Walton Goggins.
Another photo, which offers the first look at Oscar nominee Dern ("Nebraska") in character, suggests there will be singing involved, and Dern's character won't like it.
Tarantino almost scrapped the project altogether after the script leaked online. However, he reconsidered after a live-table read, where the cast got an overwhelmingly positive reception.
See two more images below. Click here to see the rest of the photos or pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
Entertainment Weekly/Andrew Cooper
The Only 8 Western Comedies That Hollywood Has Made Since 1990 (Photos)
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523
Wild Wild West - Warner Bros 1999. Worldwide Box Office: $355,390,641
Wagons East! - Sony 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $8,581,812
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold - Columbia 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $84,844,038
Almost Heroes - Warner Bros 1998. Worldwide Box Office: $10,638,089
City Slickers - Sony 1991. Worldwide Box Office: $345,735,088
Maverick - Warner Bros 1994. Worldwide Box Office: $355,991,445
Back to the Future Part III - Universal 1990. Worldwide Box Office: $469,978,546
1 of 8
The western has been a major movie genre since Hollywood’s inception, but the western comedy has rarely been a central player. These are the movies that have earned a greenlight over the past couple decades.
Shanghai Noon - Buena Vista 2000. Worldwide Box Office: $149,740,523