Quentin Tarantino, fresh off of his Academy Award snub for Best Director, lost his temper with a reporter. At a taped interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News journalist Krishnan Guru, he ran out of patience for answering questions about the violence in his movies.

Guru questioned the director unrelentingly, asserting that his fans have a right to know where he stands. “Don’t ask me a question like that. I’m not biting. I refuse your question,” responded Tarantino. “I’m not your slave and you’re not my master. You can’t make me dance to your tune. I’m not a monkey." When Guru pressed further, Tarantino responded, “I’m shutting your butt down.”

The Django Unchained director has faced questions regarding the violence in his films ad nauseam since his graphic movies shot him to the top among Hollywood directors. In an interview earlier this year, Tarantino was asked about how he felt about the violence in his movies, considering what had happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. "I think it's disrespectful to their memory, actually … to talk about movies,” he said. “I think it's totally disrespectful to their memory. Obviously, the issue is gun control and mental health. I've been asked this question for 20 years—about the effects of violence in movies related to violence in real life. My answer is the same 20 years ago. It hasn't changed one iota. Obviously, I don't think one has to do with the other."

Guru had a point in that the issue of violence in movies is a newsworthy topic (Vice President Joe Biden spoke to the entertainment industry yesterday about it.), and that Tarantino has an obligation to moviegoers to address the issue. But, as Tarantino said with all the frustration of a snubbed talent, “I have explained this many times, I just refuse to repeat myself over and over again because you want me to—for you and your show, and your ratings."

Check out the video of Quentin Tarantino below:

Leave a comment

Read more about: