Quentin Tarantino furiously criticized Pulp Fiction actress Rosanna Arquette for calling the use of the N-word in his films “racist and creepy.”
Tarantino, 62, responded with an explosive statement directed at Arquette, 66, saying that her remarks show “a decided lack of class.”
“I hope the publicity you’re getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of?” wrote Tarantino. “But after I gave you a job, and you took the money, to trash it for what I suspect is very cynical reasons, shows a decided lack of class, no less honor.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Arquette’s representatives for comment.
“There is supposed to be an esprit de corps between artistic colleagues. But it would appear the objective was accomplished,” he continued. “Congratulations.”
Arquette’s remarks came in an interview with The Times. While she praised Pulp Fiction, Tarantino’s 1994 cult-hit, for being “iconic,” the actress added, “personally, I am over the use of the N-word—I hate it. I cannot stand that he has been given a hall pass. It’s not art, it’s just racist and creepy.”
For Pulp Fiction, Tarantino won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Others have called out Tarantino for featuring the N-word frequently. Director Spike Lee said Tarantino was “infatuated with that word” in a 1997 interview with Variety.
“I’m not against the word, and I use it, but not excessively. And some people speak that way. But Quentin is infatuated with that word. What does he want to be made—an honorary Black man?” Lee said.
Pulp Fiction reportedly featured the word about 20 times. His 2012 Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer, Django Unchained, used the slur over 110 times.
Foxx, who played the titular character in Django Unchained, told Yahoo Entertainment of the script, “I understood the text. The N-word was said 100 times, but I understood the text—that’s the way it was back in that time.”
The acclaimed director defended himself to The New York Times in 2015, saying, “When the Black critics came out with savage think pieces about ‘Django,’ I couldn’t have cared less. If people don’t like my movies, they don’t like my movies, and if they don’t get it, it doesn’t matter.”
“In a lot of the more ugly pieces, my motives were really brought to bear in the most negative way. It’s like I’m some supervillain coming up with this stuff,” he said.
Tarantino has been noted for the use of profanity in his body of work. Dallas Observer reporter Garret Gravely once counted that the F-word has been used 901 times across nine of Tarantino’s feature films.
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