Quentin Tarantino vowed to never share a “penny” with his mother after she mocked his early screenplays

“No Elvis Cadillac for mommy”

Quentin Tarantino has explained why he’s never shared his financial success with his mother, which stems back to an incident in his childhood.

The director, who has raked in roughly $120 million (£86 million) from films such as  Django Unchained and Inglorious Basterds, told Billions co-creator Brian Koppelman on his podcast The Moment how his mother, Connie Zastoupil, ridiculed his writing at an early age.

Tarantino recalled how, at 12-years-old, he received blowback from teachers for writing screenplays instead of essays in school.

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When his academic results began to slide, the director said his mum mocked his screenplay writing. “My mom was bitching at me about [writing screenplays]… and then in the middle of her little tirade, she said, ‘Oh, and by the way, this little writing career’ – with the finger quotes and everything – ‘this little writing career’ that you’re doing? That shit is fucking over,’” Tarantino recalled.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019). Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing / The Hollywood Archive

That moment is when Tarantino vowed to never share a “penny” from any future success with his mother. “When she said to me in that sarcastic way, I was in my head and I go: ‘Okay, lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see one penny from my success. There will be no house for you. There’s no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that.’”

It’s a vow he’s only broken once. “Yeah. Yeah. I helped her out with a jam with the IRS,” Tarantino said. “But no house. No Cadillac, no house.

“There are consequences for your words as you deal with your children. Remember there are consequences for your sarcastic tone about what’s meaningful to them,” he added.

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Tarantino’s works have made serious bank at the box office, with Pulp Fiction grossing $213million while his last film, Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, earned $374million in total.

The director intends to retire after his next film, although it seems like he’s still brainstorming what his tenth will entail – admitting he’s considered both a reimagining of Rambo: First Blood with Adam Driver and a Reservoir Dogs remake.

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