Rosanna Arquette Calls Out Quentin Tarantino Over N-Word

Actress Rosanna Arquette, famous for films like Desperately Seeking Susan and Crash, is criticizing director Quentin Tarantino. She believes his repeated use of the N-word in his movies is both racist and unsettling.

“It’s iconic, a great film on a lot of levels,” Arquette told The Sunday Times about 1994’s Pulp Fiction, where she played the role of Jody, who’s on hand for the famous scene where Vincent Vega (John Travolta) plunges a syringe full of adrenaline into Mia Wallace’s (Uma Thurman) chest. “But personally I am over the use of the N-word — I hate it. I cannot stand that he [Tarantino] has been given a hall pass. It’s not art, it’s just racist and creepy.”

The film Pulp Fiction features the N-word repeatedly, including instances spoken by director Quentin Tarantino, who also appears in the movie. Tarantino’s use of the slur in his films has been a topic of discussion since his early work, beginning with Reservoir Dogs in 1992. This debate peaked in 2012 with the release of Django Unchained, a film starring Jamie Foxx as a bounty hunter named Django searching for his wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), approximately two years before the American Civil War. The N-word appears almost 110 times throughout Django Unchained.

Samuel L. Jackson, a frequent collaborator with Quentin Tarantino in films like Django Unchained and Pulp Fiction, has consistently supported the director’s choice to include a racial slur in his work. In the 2019 documentary QT8: The First Eight, Jackson drew a comparison between its use in Django Unchained and its presence in Steve McQueen’s 2013 film 12 Years a Slave. Jackson argued that McQueen’s artistic intent differed from Tarantino’s, noting that while some songs use the slur repeatedly without criticism, McQueen used it to challenge societal norms. He felt that Tarantino was unfairly accused of simply being provocative, stating that Tarantino’s writing and dialogue accurately reflect how people think, feel, and speak.

Look, I get why some people are bothered by Tarantino’s choices, but he’s pretty unapologetic about it. I remember seeing him on Chris Wallace’s show back in 2022, and when asked about the criticism, he basically said, ‘If my films aren’t your cup of tea, then go see something else!’ He made it clear he’s not trying to please everyone, and frankly, he doesn’t seem to care if they’re offended. He’s making movies for his vision, not to satisfy critics.

After shelving his planned tenth film, The Movie Critic, it’s uncertain if Quentin Tarantino will direct another movie. He considers Kill Bill as a single film, and intended The Movie Critic to be his last. Instead, he’s currently writing a play set to debut in London’s West End around 2027. Details are limited, but The Daily Mail reports it will be a traditional British farce, similar to the comedic style of Brian Rix and Ray Cooney – think fast-paced humor with mistaken identities and physical comedy. It’s unlikely this play will contain any offensive language.

As for Rosanna Arquette, she recently appeared alongside Charli XCX in the mockumentary The Moment.

2026-03-08 23:47

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