Topics: News, US News, Quentin Tarantino, Film and TV, Golden Globes
Actor Rosanna Arquette has slammed Quentin Tarantino over the use of the N-word in his films.
Arquette played Jody in the hit 1994 film, and shared that while she still considers the film to be an excellent film, she is now uncomfortable with the frequent use of the N-word.
Use of the slur has come up a lot in Tarantino's films, with Django Unchained being subject to particular scrutiny for how often the word is used.
Django Unchained had 110 occasions where the slur is used, and it is spoken by both black and white characters in the film.
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And while while Django Unchained had a particularly high use, many of Tarantino's films have used the slur, and he has previously been criticized over how often he includes it in his scripts.
Now, Arquette has spoken out about her distaste over the word's use.
Speaking about Pulp Fiction, she told UK newspaper The Times: “It’s iconic, a great film on a lot of levels. But personally I am over the use of the N-word - I hate it."
Arquette went on to criticize how Tarantino's use of the slur in his scripts is allowed, adding: "I cannot stand that he [Tarantino] has been given a hall pass. It’s not art, it’s just racist and creepy.”
Arquette is far from the first person to criticize Tarantino's use of the slur in his scripts.
In 2012 Spike Lee slammed Django Unchained for its frequent use of the slur, telling Vibe magazine: "It’s disrespectful to my ancestors. That’s just me. … I’m not speaking on behalf of anybody else.”
Lee had also made the same criticism when Tarantino's movie Jackie Brown was released in 1997.
Speaking at the time, Lee said: “I have a definite problem with Quentin Tarantino’s excessive use of the N-word.
“And let the record state that I never said that he cannot use that word - I’ve used that word in many of my films - but I think something is wrong with him.”
For his part, Tarantino has defended his use of the word in his scripts, arguing that to not include it would be to 'soften' the film.
At the 2013 Golden Globes, where he won best screenplay for Django Unchained, Tarantino said: “They think I should soften it, that I should lie, that I should massage.
“I would never do that when it comes to my characters.”
UNILAD has approached representatives of Quentin Tarantino for comment.
