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Quentin Tarantino Tells Joe Rogan How He Responded To Political Correctness

Quentin Tarantino Tells Joe Rogan How He Responded To Political Correctness

The director said he always tried to be true to himself

Dominic Smithers

Dominic Smithers

Quentin Tarantino is no shrinking violet, as his catalogue of dark, bloody movies will attest.

However, it could all have been very different. There may never have been a Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction if he'd been fearful of being censored.

Fortunately for his army of fans, he didn't give it a second thought, and he's gone on to make some of the longest, bloodiest, and most all-out bonkers movies ever committed to film.

Speaking on Joe Rogan's podcast, the 57-year-old explained how he responded to the idea of censorship and political correctness in his earlier days.

He said: "The '80s and the '50s were the worst times for movies ever because it was this politically correct time. In the '50s, it was different because it was just society. In the '80s, self-censorship was going on.

Joe Rogan Podcast

"It was the rise of political correctness after the '70s, where everything was 'just go as far as you can', then all of a sudden everything got watered down...

"The most important thing about a character [in a film] was that they were likable, and every character had to be likable."

Tarantino told Rogan that he was inspired by filmmakers in Europe and the rest of the world, citing a particularly bizarre opening scene from a Pedro Almodóvar movie.

"There was nothing like that available in America," he explained.

"I was like, 'Oh my God, this is the wildest s*** ever, man. This is amazing.'

"So I remember I was sitting in Video Archives and I remember saying, 'I want to do s*** like that when I'm making movies,' and then one of the guys said, 'Well, they won't let you do that, Quentin.'

"And my answer was, 'Who's they? Who are they to tell me what I can and can't do?'"

Tarantino says he has always pushed against censorship.
A Band Apart

He added: "At the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. I never let they stop me - I did what I wanted to do, and by doing what I wanted to do, we changed the '90s.

"The '90s stopped being politically correct and all of a sudden, in one year, Reservoir Dogs, El Mariachi, Man Bites Dog, Romeo is Bleeding... all these wild, ironic, violent movies started coming out that didn't exist in 1989."

A film Tarantino has yet to make, though, is one that he had planned a long time ago, which involves a crossover of characters from both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

Actor Michael Madsen, who played Mr. Blonde (aka Vic Vega) in Reservoir Dogs, spoke about the possibility last year, also referencing the Pulp Fiction character Vincent Vega (played by John Travolta).

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Madsen said: "The picture was going to start out with the two of us being released from prison in different states. And we open up a club in Amsterdam."

A Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction crossover was originally planned.
Live America Inc.

He explained that the potential movie would have most likely have been released in the 1990s, had it ever happened, and would have been a prequel, given that (SPOILER) both characters die in the films they are in.

The pair would have worked with the underground crime network of the Dutch city, which would correlate with the start of Pulp Fiction, where Vincent arrives in Los Angeles after spending time in the 'Dam.

Madsen felt that he and Travolta would have been 'too old' to resume the roles and said Tarantino had mentioned casting younger actors to play their characters, saying: "He had come up with this idea that it would be the twin brothers of Vic and Vincent, who met after the deaths of their siblings.

"It was very complicated, but when Quentin starts discussing an idea, it's very easy to go along with it."

Featured Image Credit: Joe Rogan Podcast

Topics: Movies, joe rogan, Funny, comedian, US Entertainment, Quentin Tarantino