Lee Daniels calls out Quentin Tarantino’s use of the N-word
Not long after Quentin Tarantino defended himself, filmmaker Lee Daniels has called out the Kill Bill director for his prevalent use of the N-word in his films.
During Tarantino’s appearance on Whose Talking to Chris Wallace, he was asked by the host his thoughts on the backlash he has experienced for using the word in his films. “You should see something else,” Tarantino said. “Then see something else. If you have a problem with my movies, then they aren’t the movies to go see. Apparently, I’m not making them for you.”
CNN asked Daniels, known for producing the TV series Empire, his views on a white filmmaker using racially charged language and how that filmmaker responds to criticism. He replied: “Quentin, that’s not the right answer. Ten years ago or 15 years ago, I would have checked it off as artistic, but n***a is our word. That’s my word. You have no right to say that, and you have no right to feel that way. Sorry, bro.”
Actor Samuel L. Jackson, who has appeared in six Tarantino films, also commented on the director’s controversy in Esquire. “It’s some bullshit; you can’t just tell a writer he can’t talk, write the words, put the words in the mouths of the people from their ethnicities, the way that they use their words,” the actor said. “You cannot do that because it becomes an untruth; it’s not honest. It’s just not honest.”
Tarantino is generating more heated discussion in the film industry thanks to his book Cinema Speculation. In the book, the filmmaker criticises Marvel for being made “by hired hands” and claims “filmmakers can’t wait for the day superhero movies lose popularity”.
The director has also confirmed his next feature will be his last. “I’ve been doing it for a long time; I’ve been doing it for 30 years. It’s time to wrap up the show. I’m an entertainer. I want to leave you wanting more”, Tarantino told CNN. “I don’t want to work to diminishing returns. I don’t want to become this old man who’s out of touch, I’m already feeling a bit like an old man out of touch when it comes to the current movies that are out right now, and that’s exactly what happens.”
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