POLL: Has Quentin Tarantino Crossed the Line?
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Quentin Tarantino
For those who don't know, Quentin Tarantino was floating around Sundance last week, mainly to promote the film Hell Ride (which he produced). Cinematical spotted him a few times in our hotel bar, but that was about it. We drank in our corner, he drank in his corner and the world was a safe and happy place. Others, however, actually approached the guy for either a pic or to say what's up. I know one fellow blogger who asked Tarantino for a photo outside the Hell Ride premiere, only to have the guy flat out reject him as if he were asking for a million dollars and a lap dance. Then, not long after hearing that story, this video clip popped up on YouTube.
It shows Tarantino exiting a Starbucks in Park City, while some dude points a camera in his face. Right off the bat, Tarantino is edgy; asking continuously what this whole camera thing is all about. Yet, it appears the guy attempts to answer, only Tarantino won't let him. Instead, the Pulp Fiction director shoves the guy, threatens to fight and then both get all tough with one another -- like those days back in the schoolyard when each kid would wait for the other to throw the first punch. Now I'm on the fence as to whether Tarantino is in the right here. It does take awhile for the guy to even attempt to pony up his reason for being there, but Tarantino doesn't give him much breathing room. Plus, it's Sundance -- these guys aren't in the middle of nowhere. If you're a big celebrity, you have to understand folks will be interested in photographing you during the festival, be it at a party, a premiere or outside a Starbucks. But what do you think?










Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-29-2008 @ 11:47AM
DAVID F said...
Aw jeez! I'm on the fence with this one.....they're both idiots! I totally agree with your perspective Erik. Interviewers (whether they have a camera or not) should be scheduling interviews and celebs should realize that it's quite possible something like this will happen.
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1-29-2008 @ 11:55AM
Atomic Popcorn said...
Always an ass in my mind. Just because he has 1 or 2 max good ideas doesn't mean he gets to be an ass. I hate ignorant folks like this.
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1-29-2008 @ 12:03PM
RC said...
I don't think Tarantino is in the wrong at all. He asked the guy why he was filming and he didn't reply or put the camera down. Then the camera guy is trying to provoke a fight to catch it on film. Tarantino did the right thing by walking away.
I'll admit I've never been in the situation where people want to video tape me all the time but it has to get annoying.
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1-29-2008 @ 12:07PM
John R said...
I'm with Tarantino on this. Dude probably caught him on a bad day and he just wanted to be left alone for at least few minutes. Could have been worse, Quentin could have been listening to a Wu-Tang record before left the starbucks...
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1-29-2008 @ 12:14PM
Atomic Popcorn said...
I guess my whole point would be, as a celeb or sorts you need to be cool at all times or you look like a douche bag as he does here. Both guys are in the wrong yes, but besides being a total ass, no need to trip the poor guy. He is just taping you. For pete's sake, he is famous. Would he do the same thing if he was taking a picture?
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1-29-2008 @ 12:22PM
vandy said...
I say that Tarantino was totally in the right here. We have no idea what was occurring before the video started rolling. These guys could have been tailing them, heck we don't even know how many there are...if they have cameras hanging around their necks. They're NOT fans, they're just a couple of the paparazzi trying to get Tarantino to do something on camera. Tarantino is a man who deserves respect, heck all people deserve their privacy and shouldn't have to put up with it. Granted I would have liked to see Tarantino take on the guy with "Stuck In the Middle With You" playing.
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1-29-2008 @ 1:10PM
Jimbo Jones said...
Why are people trying to stir things up over this video? Nothing really happened. Quit trying to stir up non-existent controversy and report on real things.
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1-29-2008 @ 1:58PM
kevjohn said...
I think Tarantino should have been well-prepared to have cameras, microphones, and annoying people jumping into his face at an event like this. It's not exactly Breaking News that this is the sort of crap that accompanies great fame. I think the paparazzi dude was just doing what they do, but then he was real quick to jump into "go ahead and keep hitting me so I can sue your ass" mode after the initial hit. These guys are almost hoping for this kind of (childish) reaction.
Jimbo Jones, I wouldn't exactly call it 'nothing'. Some people call it 'assault'. Ask Kenny Rogers if smacking a camera out of someone's hand is 'nothing'. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/sports/baseball/19rogers.html
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1-29-2008 @ 2:23PM
Martini Agonistes said...
Anyone else smell the slight odor of viral marketing here? Every time someone mentions this clip, they also mention Sundance, and the film that QT is promoting there.
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1-29-2008 @ 2:28PM
Philip said...
As a poster has already mentioned, I'd be curious as to what happened prior to the camera rolling. QT just walks out of a Starbucks and goes off, unprovoked? Doesn't make sense. QT's an ass no doubt, but I think he was antagonized, in this case.
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1-29-2008 @ 2:48PM
Sam H. said...
Tarantino's been an ass for so long that I'm surprised it's taken until now for someone to catch it on tape. Let us not forget the night he got drunk during a cast/crew party for THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS and propositioned director Antoine Fuqua's date. That was classy, much like this.
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1-29-2008 @ 2:59PM
Knox Films said...
I have no love for the Papparazzi but at Sundance, that's a fact of life. No doubt the videographer should have said what he was up to but regardless, Tarantino came off looking like the bigger ass...
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1-29-2008 @ 4:04PM
Joel M. said...
I've seen a video where the camera dudes follow Tarantino to his house, and still he's cool about it, telling them not to do it again - but strongly. So it's not like he's always a giant prick about this kind of thing.
In this case QT is in the wrong for hitting the guy - period.
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1-29-2008 @ 4:16PM
Emily said...
Anyone that's interested in what fame is like should read British comedian/actor/TV personality Stephen Fry's brilliant essay. It's really long, but outstanding.
http://stephenfry.com/blog/index.php?paged=2#more-19
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1-29-2008 @ 8:02PM
AJ Wiley said...
The papparazzi deserve every.thing.they.get. Useless bastards.
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1-29-2008 @ 6:22PM
Nathan said...
This is all the paparazzi shows, he probably filmed him more before he entered the Starbucks and QT was asking him what he was doing it for.
Having said that based on the evidence here they both look like idiots.
Having said that paparazzi are scum. I could have been content not seeing this clip and playing it on here is only encouragement.
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1-29-2008 @ 10:02PM
MaxPayne said...
It's all fun. I mean, it's the movie business. You think any other industry would employ that nut? (and i mean Tarantino) It's all good. Tarantino is just messin' with him. Just a little goofyness on the way to get some starbucks, know what i'm sayin.
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1-29-2008 @ 10:13PM
MaxPayne said...
hey AJ.
Paparazzi are not completely useless. I do understand what you mean when you say "every.thing.they.get" but, the paparazzi give you free advertising. As a celebrity, they get your picture into countless magazines that end up in your fans hands. And it's free of charge to you. Also as a celebrity "on the hunt" as i call it when ur carefully planning ur big money strategy, you need to get as much exposure as possible so people who may not be ur fans yet, notice you. If you're everywhere, people will talk about you. It's simple as that. But, i'm not in Tarantino's position so i have to be nice to the press (i include paparazzi in there too). But, aside from the free advertising...ya, they are completely useless and i wouldn't mind slappin' me a paparazzo or two one day. :)
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1-30-2008 @ 6:13PM
cathie said...
i once was at a movie theater where Tarantino was at too. As I was walking out of the theatre people were asking him for autographs and his reply was, "I don't sign at theatres, it's like my church." But then he was cool and signed for a few minutes outside. he gets a lot of fanboy worship and I'm sure it can be overwhelming. festivals can be stressfull situations, both need to just chill.
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2-05-2008 @ 1:54PM
Debbie said...
Cathie is the luckiest person, in the same theatre as Quentin Tarantino- I wish it was me.
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