Why Quentin Tarantino thinks the single worst actor of all time has “gotten a bad rap”
While it’s true that he once had a reputation for dusting off forgotten actors and fallen stars, handing them a plum role in his movies and then giving them the platform to deliver what was often career-best work, Quentin Tarantino has never actively hired thespians known for being crap at their jobs.
Well, technically, he has, but it’s himself. If there’s one person who frequently pops up in Tarantino’s films and instantly shatters the immersion by doing some crap acting, it’s Tarantino. And yet, because he’s the director, and for whatever reason, he thinks he’s pretty good at it, nobody can stop him.
The worst actor Quentin Tarantino has ever worked with is undoubtedly Quentin Tarantino, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of collaborating with someone even worse. That’s not coming from a place of malice, spite, or bias either, but from one of the most reputable sources around: science.
A study that used the average critic and user-generated ratings for all of their performances, how badly their starring roles have fared at the box office, and the frequency with which they found themselves in the running for Razzies came to the conclusion that the single worst performer to ever try to carve out a film career for themselves was Madonna.
Honestly, it’s not exactly far-fetched. The 16-time Razzie nominee and nine-time winner has been awful in a number of awful films and has given many wooden performances in many onscreen abominations. While saying she’s not an actor by trade might scan as trying to make excuses, don’t forget that the ‘Queen of Pop’ has amassed well over a dozen credits where she’s not playing herself, so it’s not like she didn’t have plenty of opportunities to sharpen her skills.
Most people would agree that Madonna isn’t a good actor, because she’s not. And yet, because they’ve got something of a history dating back to the introductory scene of his debut film, Tarantino is one of the few cinephiles willing to go out on a limb and defend her back catalogue from the criticism it so richly deserves.
“I’ve always said that Madonna has gotten a bad rap,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “She was the only actor who knew what she was doing in Dick Tracy. She was my favourite in A League of Their Own. If I had something right for her, I would totally cast her.”
Pointing to two performances from an entire filmography to try and state the case for Madonna not being rubbish is flimsy at best, even if the chances of her being cast in a Tarantino movie are virtually nonexistent now that the two-time Academy Award winner is adamant he’s retiring after the next one.
If he did, though, it could be a haunting prospect. Imagine Tarantino and Madonna going toe-to-toe in a dialogue-heavy scene, spitting verbal barbs in what would be the total inverse of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino’s seminal showdown in Heat… In fact, don’t. It’s enough to cause nightmares.
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.