# What has happened to Quentin Tarantino? Has he always been a jerk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863 "2014-01-27T17:41:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/21 "2014-01-27T20:30:13Z")
I don’t see him being a jerk at all. He admitted to being depressed about it. And said he’s going to cancel his plans. How the hell does that make him a jerk? People don’t choose whether or not to get depressed. Why the hell would anyone even _want_ him to go through with a movie he wasn’t motivated about anymore? It’d turn out like shit. If he could still do it and produce a good movie, then you might have a point. But as it stands, he’s depressed about what happened and lost his drive. He’s not in control over that. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/22 "2014-01-27T20:37:43Z")
To the OP’s question… Norm MacDonald in early 1998 did an SNL sketch about Quentin Tarantino (literally) having a big head… and some of the jerky personality was in that. [http://www.fakenews.net/archive/impressions/tarantino\_98\_01\_10.html](http://www.fakenews.net/archive/impressions/tarantino_98_01_10.html) So that wasn’t really long after Pulp Fiction. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/23 "2014-01-27T21:08:44Z")
As Tarantino films are all about dialogue, a leaked script is much more devastating than one from a writer/director known for less cerebral actioners. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/24 "2014-01-27T21:13:33Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Robert Rodriguez directed “Sin City”, though he shared directing credit with Frank Miller and had Tarantino do a short segment. I forget which one, but it’s in the Clive Owen substory. It’s the scene in the car where he’s taking the body to get rid of. Where the head talks back to him. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/25 "2014-01-27T21:17:37Z")
Seems like a pretty normal reaction. Its just that others probably wouldn’t have done it so publicly. And named names. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/26 "2014-01-27T21:41:27Z")
Hmm, a middle-aged white guy who likes to complain loudly and comes off like a whiner. Where have I seen that before? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/27 "2014-01-27T22:43:42Z")
> [@MyFootsZZZ](#): > > I agree. I don’t even realize why this makes him a jerk? It’s his creative work, and he can do what he wants with it. Exactly. The script was take from him without his permission. It was not ready, and now that it’s out, it’s not only hurt its value, but creates expectations that might never be met, since he could easily change things in rewrites or on the set. He has every right to be pissed off about this. The work is his, and he gets to decide what to do with it, not any yahoo who comes along. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/28 "2014-01-27T23:23:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Exactly. The script was take from him without his permission. It was not ready, and now that it’s out, it’s not only hurt its value, but creates expectations that might never be met, since he could easily change things in rewrites or on the set. I think its more that it could only have been leaked by one of three or four people, and those were people he thought he could trust. One of those people has broken that trust, and Tarantino feels that he can’t just shrug his shoulders and continue working knowing that this happened. When you have the power to pick and choose what projects you do, why would you continue with the one that has these negative connotations? Better to just move to the next one. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/29 "2014-01-27T23:37:15Z")
I will put out there: drugs. I would bet a year’s salary he is a great big druggie and that is what causes him to be the way he is. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/30 "2014-01-27T23:46:29Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > I will put out there: drugs. I would bet a year’s salary he is a great big druggie and that is what causes him to be the way he is. The fuck? He may or may not be into drugs–I don’t know–but I’m not into them and I could easily see being as pissed as he is about this. I’d take that bet in a heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/31 "2014-01-27T23:55:18Z")
😕 Tarantino may be getting a bit egotistical. But no one has ever suggested he’s got a drug problem. > [@salinqmind](#): > > I will put out there: drugs. I would bet a year’s salary he is a great big druggie and that is what causes him to be the way he is. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/32 "2014-01-28T00:02:07Z")
Just curious, if QT has a trend of leaked scripts in the past could Gawker use this as a defense? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/33 "2014-01-28T00:15:13Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > Just curious, if QT has a trend of leaked scripts in the past could Gawker use this as a defense? I believe they [will](http://gawker.com/quentin-tarantino-sues-gawker-over-link-to-script-he-wa-1510095159). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/34 "2014-01-28T00:27:25Z")
Gwaker makes a valid point. I can’t see Tarantino winning this suit. He’ll just look even more like a jerk by pursuing it. > [@](#): > > Contributory infringement is a legal theory that has traditionally been deployed against file-sharing sites and search engines—venues that explicitly exist as directories to copyrighted content. Gawker and Defamer are news sites, and our publication of the link was clearly connected to our goal of informing readers about things they care about. As far as I can tell (but I’m no lawyer!), no claim of contributory infringement has prevailed in the U.S. over a news story. We’ll be fighting this one. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/35 "2014-01-28T01:06:52Z")
Tarantino is suing Gawker, so I think Gawker’s legal analysis might be a little biased. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/36 "2014-01-28T01:22:00Z")
I’ll bet it’s a loooooong time, if ever, before another of his scripts is leaked. I’m betting on never. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/37 "2014-01-28T07:30:23Z")
I see nothing really jerkish here. It’s an immediate and understandable reaction. Maybe a bit of an overreaction, but nothing crazy. If QT had a long history of overreactions like this, then you might have a case of jerkosity. But this isolated instance? I don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Slade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@Slade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slade)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/38 "2014-01-28T08:37:40Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Exactly. The script was take from him without his permission. It was not ready, and now that it’s out, it’s not only hurt its value, but creates expectations that might never be met, since he could easily change things in rewrites or on the set. > > He has every right to be pissed off about this. The work is his, and he gets to decide what to do with it, not any yahoo who comes along. Well said. Also, it seems he had some very specific collaborators in mind for this movie and now it looks like at least one of those collaborators has shat on him by leaking the script. Why would he want to work with them after that? He’s entitled to feel betrayed by someone he’d previously thought of as a friend, and that’s not a jerk thing - it’s a human thing. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/39 "2014-01-28T11:06:19Z")
Oops posted by mistake. Sorry. I just do not want to get into the middle of this quarrel. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863/40 "2014-01-28T16:36:26Z")
Last I heard, he’s still going to finish it, and post it as a book, and then maybe consider a movie if the book goes well. That doesn’t sound like he’s being a jerk, just him adapting to the circumstances of not being able to trust the people he had planned to work with. I did however think Stephanie Meyer was being a jerk when she refused to publish Edward’s side of Twilight because part of it leaked. I get being hurt, but it does seem unfair to punish all your fans for the actions of a single person. The feelings are understandable, and maybe taking a long break to deal with those feelings makes sense, but, ultimately, I think she should have completed it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-happened-to-quentin-tarantino-has-he-always-been-a-jerk/679863.md?page=3)