Originially published in Savvy Magazine 8.10.2007
A man as widely recognised as Quentin Tarantino was bound to go down well in a city that embraces all things cult, and let's face it; the man is all about the offbeat.
It's 1pm, the sun is shining, and one of the world's greatest pioneering directors is sipping a beer in the unlikely venue of Walkabout. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Quentin Tarantino.
It's the morning after previewing his new film 'Death Proof' to a select audience of lucky film fanatics, where Tarantino stood in FACT cinema and questioned about his ideas and inspirations. The film, which goes nationwide on 21 September, follows the director's cinematic trend of strong woman vs. man. It's about a stuntman (Kurt Russell) using his unyielding car as a murderous weapon against eight women.
We were chatting in Walkabout, in between beer and food, and the avoidance of the inevitable onset of fans. "I'm really happy with how the film was received and with the questions. Yeah it went really well, everyone was really nice!"
Tarantino's visit to Liverpool comes as part of a regional tour of Death Proof: "I wanted to come to Liverpool because it's a city that I've never been to, so when I started thinking about the regional UK tour, I decided to add Liverpool in there too."
The original idea of releasing a double feature, 'Grindhouse', which incorporated Roderiguez's 'Planet Terror' and Tarantino's 'Death Proof', was scrapped in the UK after a surprise flop in America. The UK will instead see the films as separate, with added footage and originally deleted scenes. During the Q&A, he said he was "really disappointed" that Grindhouse wasn't going to be released in the UK. He admitted that it had been a failure in America. Tarantino said that showing the films separately, "better reflects the narrative strategies and script".
Death Proof, 11 years in the idea bank, was named by a car salesman suggested to Tarantino that to make a car safer (instead of just buying a Volvo), to give his current 'dangerous' car to a stuntman who would make it untouchable: "He actually came up with the term Death Proof. I'd never thought of it before but the idea just stayed with me".
This is just one tale of how the spark of the writing process all comes together for this director. And so the opportunity couldn't be missed to grill him about Hollywood, so we asked for his tips on getting into the film industry. He said: "Well, I don't really know how to break into the film industry myself!" (sure...), "but I think, you need to have the desire, it has to come from within you. You have to write for wanting to write, not for the sake of just wanting to write a screenplay – a bit like novelists."
"I knew since I was five that I wanted to go into film, I'd write things and it would get published on page 12, page 15, page 24, page 30… then I thought it was going somewhere."
Tarantino is a man eager to talk and share ideas. It is surreal to observe a man so popular and respected for his work on two of the most popular cult films in recent years relaxing with beer and chicken legs like he was watching Superbowl Sunday. On the highlight of his career he said: "For me, when I got the financing for Reservoir Dogs, that was amazing, and although Pulp Fiction was my biggest 'hit', getting to do Reservoir Dogs was the best thing for me."
As for his opinion on the city of culture, he said: "I'm going to explore it today, explore it and get lost in it. It's the best way to get to know a place. Just as long as I have the business card of the place I'm staying…I can call a cab if I get lost!"
Death Proof is released nationwide on 21 September.
