Quentin Tarantino is one of Hollywood’s most influential creators who ushered in a niche genre of filmmaking. Never boxing himself into any particular genre, the maverick filmmaker has merged visual appeal and screenplay seamlessly to create multiple works of art that have stood the test of time. Among his many masterpieces, Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, which is a fictional take on the events of World War 2 and the horrors of the Holocaust, is one of his memorable works as director.
Apart from the arresting charisma of Brad Pitt, the film was elevated multifold by the presence of Christoph Waltz as the ruthless Colonel Hans Landa. While Tarantino is known for his unique methods in prepping his actors and getting the best out of them, he wasn’t prepared for the extent of Waltz’s talent that blew his mind and completely changed his concept of brilliance.
How Christoph Waltz Stunned Quentin Tarantino
While it is hard to remember every single Oscar-winning performance by actors over the years, Christoph Waltz’s brilliant portrayal of the Nazi colonel in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds cannot be forgotten easily. As Hans Landa, Waltz brought a quiet and chilling brutality to the character which was evident right from the iconic opening scene of the film.
The Oscar winner’s talent was so tangible that even Tarantino who is known to have complete control over his scenes and actors, couldn’t stop being mesmerized by him. In an interview with Empire Magazine, the Pulp Fiction director spoke of Waltz’s role as being the most entertaining and challenging to write, and praised the actor’s ability to own the screen.
“The minute he enters a scene, he dominates it. All the things that he was supposed to be good at, he was that good at them.”
Tarantino also elaborated on the fact that despite Waltz’s character being the antagonist, the nuances of the role and the manner in which he interpreted these aspects, had audiences rooting for him despite his villainy.
Quentin Tarantino and The Marvel Controversy
Quentin Tarantino has never been one to back away from calling a spade a spade. The talented filmmaker has, on numerous occasions, expressed his views on the state of Hollywood and the films coming out of the industry. One of his comments that created a stir, was his controversial opinion on the “marvelization” of Hollywood and the influence of the MCU in creating superstars. In Tom Segura’s podcast 2 Bears 1 Cave, the actor said,
“But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times…but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
The Russo brothers, whose successful association with the MCU started with 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and culminated with Avengers: Endgame, responded to Tarantino’s comment with an equally frank answer. In their reply, they highlighted the Kill Bill director’s lack of emotional connection to the Marvel source material as a possible reason for his comments on the franchise.
Amidst the back-and-forth responses between the filmmakers, Tarantino continued to stand his ground, but ultimately seemed to concur with the Russo brothers in saying that while he liked the Marvel franchise and the characters, he wasn’t obsessed enough to take on the challenge of directing a movie based on them.
