In 2015, Samuel L Jackson, who has starred in several of Quentin Tarantino’s films, including Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, and The Hateful Eight, defended Tarantino for the use of the n-word in his films. Claiming that the director is “telling his story,” Jackson argued if someone has a problem with Tarantino’s choice of words, they need to go ahead and write their own stories.
While a huge group of audience and directors criticized Tarantino’s choice, Jackson remained a firm Tarantino defender. However, a few years later, it seems that Jackson has identified an underlying issue of racism in one of Tarantino’s works.
Having used the n-word 102 times in 12 Years as a Slave, Tarantino has been criticized for his use of racist words in his films. However, over the years, the filmmaker has defended his use of the word, saying that he does so in a way that is historically accurate.
Samuel L Jackson called out Quentin Tarantino for not being diverse enough
In an interview with Vulture, Samuel L. Jackson weighed in on his thoughts on Quentin Tarantino’s, $377 million grossing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Jackson, who has collaborated with Tarantino on five previous films, was not involved in the project. However, after watching the movie starring Brad Pitt, Jackson took issue with the film’s lack of diversity.
“But when I saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, I mean, how many Black people are in that movie? Maybe three. It was kind of like watching Goodfellas. When I was in Goodfellas, it’s like me and somebody else.”
Jackson’s comments came at a time when Hollywood was facing increasing scrutiny for its lack of diversity. In 2019, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite went viral after the Academy Awards nominations were announced, and there has been a growing call for more representation in front of and behind the camera.
It is unclear whether Jackson’s comments will have any impact on Tarantino’s upcoming projects. However, Jackson’s comments especially after defending the filmmaker once, highlight important underlying issues in the world of cinema.
When Quentin Tarantino told ‘Black critics’ that his race was irrelevant
In 2015, Quentin Tarantino responded to criticism from African American critics about his use of the N-word in his films. In an interview with the New York Times, Tarantino said that he doesn’t understand why his skin color should affect the way his movies are perceived. He also said that he doesn’t care if people don’t like his movies and that he doesn’t think he’s racist.
Tarantino’s comments came after his film, Django Unchained was met with controversy for its depiction of slavery. Some critics accused Tarantino of using the N-word too often, while others defended him, saying that he was using the word in a historically accurate way.
“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 colour of a writer’s skin should have any effect on the words themselves. 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.”
Apart from this, Tarantino also addressed the controversy over the civil rights drama Selma’s omission from the 2015 Oscars. He said that he thought the film was good, but that it might have worked better on television.
Source: Vulture, The New York Times
