When Quentin Tarantino Said He “Didn’t Make That Up” While Defending His Arrogant Portrayal Of Bruce Lee In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
For those who don't know, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie, became the talk of the town due to the scene which featured Bruce Lee fighting Pitt's character Cliff Booth
Quentin Tarantino Once Spoke About His Controversial Portrayal Of Bruce Lee In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood(Pic Credit: Movie Still, IMDb)
Advertisement
Quentin Tarantino is known for making films that catch the eye of the public for various reasons, ranging from being controversial to being epic. While more of than not, it’s the former reason, especially due to all the bloodshed, the director has formed a niche and has delivered some of the most iconic films of all time like the Kill Bill series, Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
He has also worked with several talented actors from Hollywood, including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Uma Thurman, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson. While talking about controversies regarding his films, Tarantino once opened up one of the biggest backlashes he faced for his portrayal of Bruce Lee.
For those who don’t know, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie, became the talk of the town due to the scene which featured Bruce Lee fighting Pitt’s character Cliff Booth. It wasn’t just the fans who spoke against it, but even the martial artist’s daughter condemned Tarantino for portraying the martial artist as an “arrogant a*sh*le who was full of hot air,” as reported by IndieWire
However, Quentin Tarantino didn’t budge his opinion. While appearing at a press junket in Moscow back in 2019, expressed that he felt his portrayal of Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was fair and spot-on. “Bruce Lee was kind of an arrogant guy,” Tarantino said. “The way he was talking, I didn’t just make a lot of that up. I heard him say things like that to that effect.”
As per the report, it wasn’t just Lee’s daughter who spoke against Tarantino, but even his protégé Dan Inosanto said the film did not accurately portray the late star. He pointed to a line in Tarantino’s script where Bruce makes a dig at Muhammad Ali and said that Lee “would have never said anything derogatory about Muhammad Ali because he worshipped the ground Muhammad Ali walked on.”
While speaking on the same, Quentin Tarantino also added, “If I say Cliff can beat Bruce Lee up, he’s a fictional character, so he could beat Bruce Lee up.”
