Roger Ebert is easily one of the most respected film critics of all time, and maintained consistent friendships with many directors, actors, and producers over the course of his career. While Ebert routinely provided thoughtful criticisms, that certainly did not mean that he didn't get into feuds when it came to his nastier reviews. One filmmaker Ebert had always expressed admiration for was Quentin Tarantino, as he listed his masterpiece Pulp Fiction as one of the best films of the 1990s. However, Tarantino called out Ebert for being two-faced due to criticisms that he should not try to act.
✕ Remove Ads Roger Ebert Criticized Quentin Tarantino's Acting Ability Close
Although he is primarily known as a filmmaker, Tarantino has always done some acting as well, as he has brief supporting roles in both Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. It is not unusual for filmmakers to have cameo roles within their own work, but Tarantino made a habit in the 1990s of appearing in films that were directed by his friends. Although he had little more than a cameo in the romantic comedy Somebody to Love, Ebert said that Tarantino was "another stop in his inexhaustible world tour of other directors' movies," and called on the filmmaker to stop taking acting roles during an episode of At The Movies. Ebert was also critical of Tarantino's acting work in the vampire thriller From Dusk Till Dawn, even though he was largely complimentary of the film and its screenplay (which Tarantino co-wrote alongside his friend Robert Rodriguez).
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Tarantino confronted Ebert about the criticisms, claiming that it was a "double standard" to tell directors to "stick to movies." Tarantino pointed out that two of his frequent collaborators, Tim Roth and Steve Buscemi, had directed films that Ebert reviewed favorably with The War Zone and Trees Lounge, respectively. It's easy to see why Tarantino may have been so upset by the criticism, especially since Ebert had always been so supportive of his more controversial projects. The history of Hollywood is filled with successful actors who became directors, as films from Clint Eastwood, Kevin Costner, Mel Gibson, Ben Affleck, and Robert Redford all won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Ebert May Have Been Right About Tarantino ✕ Remove Ads
The notion of telling someone to stick to the one thing that they have already proven themselves to be good at is not necessarily constructive, even if Ebert's initial comment was intended to be a joke. However, Ebert was not off base in his criticism of Tarantino's acting, as there's been nothing so far that has proven he has been able to take the leap. Tarantino is certainly entertaining in Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and From Dusk Till Dawn, as he is able to work with his own dialogue, and generally has an idea of what the characters should look and sound like. However, it does become distracting when Tarantino tries to make appearances in other projects, as his range as a performer is relatively limited. Films like Destiny Turned On The Radio and Girl 6 revealed that he often appeared to be outmatched when working with dialogue that he was not directly responsible for. Ebert was certainly not critical of other filmmakers who tried to act, such as Sydney Pollack and Richard Attenborough.
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Although he never revealed what Ebert said in response, Tarantino has been noticeably less visible in his recent films, and no longer gives himself major acting roles. After his brief cameo in Django Unchained was routinely criticized, Tarantino took on only brief vocal cameos in The Hateful Eight and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood . Although he did make a small cameo in the final Peter Bogdanovich comedy, She's Funny That Way, it was a self-deprecating performance in which he was playing an exaggerated version of himself. There is still a lot of anticipation for what Tarantino's final film as a director would be, as he canceled plans to make The Movie Critic the last of the ten films he intends to direct before ending his career behind the camera. That being said, it may be in his best interest if he simply retired from acting altogether.
From Dusk Till Dawn is available to rent on Amazon.
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From Dusk Till Dawn RActionCrime HorrorThriller Release Date January 19, 1996 Director Robert Rodriguez Cast Harvey Keitel , George Clooney , Quentin Tarantino , Juliette Lewis , Ernest Liu , Salma Hayek Pinault Runtime 108 ✕ Remove Ads