Quentin Tarantino opens up about the first monologue ever wrote
Nobody writes a script like Quentin Tarantino. The Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained director’s work just goes to show that writing natural-sounding dialogue isn’t about mimicking how ordinary people talk in real life – nobody likes umming and aahing on film – rather it’s about having an ear for rhythm and, most importantly of all, understanding one’s characters. His mesmerising monologues have been an essential part of his filmography ever since From Dusk Till Dawn, and yet how Tarantino cultivated this career-defining skill remains a mystery. Well, here, the filmmaker gives us a rare insight.
Back in 2021, he sat down for a conversation with fellow filmmaker Robert Rodriguez to discuss his career. During their talk, Tarantino noted there was a time in his life when he wanted to be an actor, though he was always more interested in making movies than starring in them. It was only after a fellow classmate spoke about a monologue he’d written that he realised he might be better off going down the directorial route.
Recalling the class in question, Tarantino said: “I never really took it seriously until a member of the class, a guy called Ronnie Coleman, [said] ‘Quentin, you’re really good. You’re as good as [American playwright] Paddy Chayefsky.'” Surprised by the comment, Tarantino turned around and said: “‘What do you mean I’m as good as Paddy Chayefsky?’” to which his classmate replied, ‘Well, you know, we did that scene in class from Marty, and you just wrote it down, and you gave with this hand-written scene,” the classmate added, “and it included this whole monologue about a fountain. Well, I actually have the original Paddy Chayefsky script, and there was no monologue about a fountain in there. That was entirely added by you. You added an entire monologue to it, and it was just as good as the Paddy Chayefsky stuff.”
The compliment gave a huge boost to Tarantino’s self-confidence: “Someone saying something like that to you actually got me to start taking it seriously,” he said, “that maybe I did have a talent for that.” Coleman didn’t know it at the time, but his kind words would give Tarantino a much-needed push. It would take him many more years and a couple of failed projects, but by the early 1990s, he’d be well on his way to establishing himself as a bonafide Hollywood great.
Today, Tarantino is one of the most celebrated directors alive. It’s comforting to think that there was a time when he had no idea if he had any talent whatsoever.
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