Quentin Tarantino fires back at Rosanna Arquette who criticised his use of the N-word: ‘Decided lack of class’

Quentin Tarantino has written a pointed open letter to actress Rosanna Arquette after she publicly condemned his use of racial slurs across his films, accusing her of acting out of cynicism and showing a "decided lack of class."

Quentin Tarantino fires back at Rosanna Arquette

The row erupted after Arquette spoke to The Sunday Times in a career-spanning interview, reflecting on her minor role in Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction.

In the piece, she acknowledged the film's place in cinema history but drew a firm line at what she described as the director's habitual use of the N-word. "It's iconic, a great film on a lot of levels," she said. "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."

Arquette played the role of Jody in Pulp Fiction — wife to Eric Stoltz's drug dealer character Lance, appearing in scenes alongside John Travolta's Vincent Vega.

The word appears in Pulp Fiction roughly 20 times. Tarantino went further in later work — Jackie Brown used the slur more than 30 times, whilst Django Unchained featured it over 100 times.

Tarantino's response was swift and unsparing. In an open letter obtained by US outlet The Wrap, the director implied hypocrisy on Arquette's part, suggesting her comments were motivated by a desire for press attention rather than genuine principle. The letter reads in full:

"Dear Rosanna,

I hope the publicity you're getting from 132 different media outlets writing your name and printing your picture was worth disrespecting me and a film I remember quite clearly you were thrilled to be a part of?

Do you feel this way now?

Very possibly.

But after I gave you a job, and you took the money, to trash it for what I suspect is very cynical reasons, shows a decided lack of class, no less honour.

There is supposed to be an esprit de corps between artistic colleagues.

But it would appear the objective was accomplished.

Congratulations.

Q"

Arquette, for her part, also told The Times that she believes she was the only principal cast member who did not receive any back-end earnings from the film's box office success. "Everybody made money except me," she said, alleging the decision was made in retaliation for her refusal of Harvey Weinstein's sexual advances. Arquette was among several actresses who spoke out against Weinstein in Ronan Farrow's New Yorker exposé, alongside Mira Sorvino and Annabella Sciorra.

The debate over Tarantino's language is not new. Spike Lee condemned the director's use of the slur as far back as 1997, saying he was "not against the word" but that Tarantino used it excessively. Lee would later criticise Django Unchained in 2012, telling Vibe magazine that it was "disrespectful to my ancestors."

Tarantino has long refused to yield on the matter. In a 2022 television appearance, he told audiences that if they were offended by his use of the word, they were welcome to "see something else."

His long-standing collaborator Samuel L. Jackson has consistently defended him. "Every time someone wants an example of overuse of the N-word, they go to Quentin — it's unfair," Jackson told The Times in 2022. "He's just telling the story and the characters do talk like that."

When Quentin Tarantino talked about Paul Dano

The Arquette dispute arrives not long after another public row involving the director. Late last year, Tarantino appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis podcast and called actor Paul Dano "the weakest f---ing actor" in the Screen Actors Guild, arguing that Dano's casting in There Will Be Blood was a flaw that prevented the film from ranking higher on his list of the century's best films.

The remarks drew a response from George Clooney, a former Tarantino collaborator from the 1996 film From Dusk Till Dawn, who used an acceptance speech at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards to say he would be "honoured" to work with Dano, Owen Wilson, and Matthew Lillard — three actors Tarantino had criticised — adding: "I don't enjoy watching people be cruel. We are living in a time of cruelty. We don't need to be adding to it."

Dano had remained silent on the matter until a 20th anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine at the Sundance Film Festival, where he spoke about the wave of industry figures who had come to his defence.

Whether Arquette responds remains to be seen. Tarantino, now 62, has spoken previously about his plans to retire from directing after his tenth film, though no announcement has yet been made on what that final project will be.