The movie Tim Roth apologised for making: ‘My father will be turning in his grave’
In the late 1980s, a new young crop of British actors began to emerge, dubbed as the ‘Brit Pack’. Among names such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, and Gary Oldman was Tim Roth, who made his first appearance in the television film Made in Britain in 1982. Directed by Alan Clarke, Roth played a racist teenage skinhead, which earned him critical attention.
Subsequently, Roth starred in Mike Leigh’s Meantime, portraying the teenage son of a working-class family struggling under the oppressive reign of Margaret Thatcher. Subsequently, Roth appeared in movies such as To Kill A Priest and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover before rising to Hollywood stardom in the 1990s.
The actor appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature, Reservoir Dogs, in 1992, playing one of the various diamond thieves who dub themselves with different colours of the rainbow – Roth’s character Freddy using the name Mr Orange. Featuring alongside stars such as Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen and Lawrence Tierney, Roth gave an incredible performance that bolstered his star presence.
Soon after, he appeared in Tarantino’s second feature, Pulp Fiction, before appearing in Rob Roy, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination and a Bafta win. In 1999, he directed his first and only feature, the emotionally devastating The War Zone. The bleak film tackles hefty topics such as sexual abuse and incest, featuring Ray Winstone and Tilda Swinton.
For the most part, Roth’s career has been rather impressive, working with esteemed directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Haneke, Wim Wenders and Mia Hansen-Løve. However, Roth has made a few acting blunders, most significantly regretting his part in United Passions.
The 2014 movie starred Roth as Sepp Blatter, the former President of FIFA, who was banned from the football association after it was discovered that he was involved in the 2015 corruption case. The timing of the movie’s release was unfortunate, paired with the fact that 90% of its funding came from FIFA, and critics ended up labelling it a mess of propaganda. Talking to the German publication Die Welt, Roth confessed, “Yeah, I apologize I didn’t question the director, I didn’t question the script.”
He added, “This is a role that will have my father turning in his grave.”
Although the movie featured some significant Hollywood stars, such as Gérard Depardieu and Sam Neill, the movie barely scrapped any money. Made on a budget of $32million, the Frédéric Auburtin-directed film only earned a worldwide total of $168,832. What’s worse, it only raked in $918 on its opening weekend. It’s safe to say that Roth isn’t exactly proud of his work on the project, and if he could, he would turn back time and remove himself from the movie.
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.