Quentin Tarantino is one of the few directors who has influenced many filmmakers across the globe with his signature non-linear storytelling with unique violent imagery. The Pulp Fiction director has made nine films to date and is gearing up for his apparent final film, The Movie Critic.
While his films have been constantly criticized for being ultra-violent, Tarantino seems to have inflicted a different kind on his mother, who has reportedly never encouraged his screenwriting endeavors.
Why Did Quentin Tarantino Not Give A Penny To His Mother?
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most successful directors working right now. The nine films that he has directed have collectively grossed around $2 billion at the global box office. The Inglorious Basterds director has constantly attracted the best actors and stars in the business such as Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Uma Thurman, and more.
The Academy Award-winning screenwriter has a net worth of $120 million. However, the director said that his mother would not be seeing a penny of all the fame and fortune the director has garnered since his debut in 1992.
In an episode of the podcast, The Moment with Brian Koppelman, Quentin Tarantino mentioned that his mother always discouraged him from pursuing a writing career. Talking about one incident when he was twelve years old, he said,
“My mom was b*tching at me about [writing screenplays] … and then in the middle of her little tirade, she said, ‘Oh, and by the way, this little writing career’ — with the finger quotes and everything — ‘This little writing career that you’re doing? That s*it is over.’”
The Django Unchained director then took a vow that once he would make a career out of his talent, he would never share the fortune with her. He said,
“I go, ‘OK lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see one penny from my success. There will be no house for you. There’s no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that.’”
Apart from the harsh ultimatum, Tarantino also revealed that he punished his mother in a different way for her constant criticism.
Young Quentin Tarantino Punished His Mother
It is safe to say that Quentin Tarantino has made his ‘little writing career’ into one that is worth millions of dollars. The director has won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay twice, the first time for his second film Pulp Fiction, and then for Django Unchained. He has won the Golden Globe Award for the same thrice and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director multiple times.
Tarantino has kept his end of the vow as his mother Connie Zastoupil has never received any money from the director. She once claimed that he helped her out with an issue with the International Revenue Service, but he otherwise has not shared his $120 million fortune.
While Quentin Tarantino has credited his mother for opening his eyes to the world of cinema as she did not restrict him from watching any film as a child, he has also mentioned how her discouragement affected him. He said,
“There are consequences for your words as you deal with your children. Remember there are consequences for your sarcastic tone about what’s meaningful to them…I helped her out with a jam with the IRS…But no house. No Cadillac, no house.”
Apart from that, a young Tarantino also punished his mother through his stories. Zastoupil mentioned that as a kid, Tarantino used to kill her off in ‘sad Mother’s Day stories’ that he used to write and then show to her. She also revealed that she would feel bad about it and the stories brought tears to her eyes.
Source: The Moment With Brian Koppelman
