Quentin Tarantino Unchained

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Quentin Tarantino stopped by to promote his latest film, ‘Django Unchained,’ and immediately shouted out George’s most obscure work: “‘Red Line 7000!'” Asked about the rise of digital features, Quentin–an avowed film devotee–dismissed the format. It works at home, but not in a theater: “If you’re talking about me leaving my house to just watch a DVD in public?” Howard reserved judgement, pointing to a questionable list in which Quentin cited ‘Midnight in Paris’ as last year’s best film. Quentin said he came to the decision after several viewings–and despite the film’s star, Owen Wilson: “I liked Owen Wilson more than I ever had before. … Comedy actors, you either really like them or you don’t. And he’s one of those comedy actors I don’t like. I just don’t think he’s funny.”

Watching Costs, Counting N-Words

Asked if he had any restrictions on-set, Quentin nodded: “The less a movie costs, the less it has to make back in order to be a hit. So I’m very conscious of that.” As recently as ‘Django Unchained,’ Quentin kept the budget low by leveraging his first dollar points: “I kind of invested in myself a little bit, as far as the three weeks [of extra time needed to complete the film] are concerned, [out of] my back end.” The studio also kept close watch on his characters’ use of the n-word: “At one point it was counted how many times it was said.”

Kathy Griffin Does The Thing

In reference to Howard’s recent interview with Kathy Griffin, Quentin confirmed that he’d once spent a night in her bed–they did what Quentin described as “the thing,” which he said was when you share a bed but don’t have sex. Quentin said Kathy had one of the funniest lines he’d ever heard off the stage, after insisting she would never do “the thing,” Kathy turned to him after a few hours in bed and exclaimed: “Oh my god!! I just did ‘the thing!'”

Tarantino Will Not Fade Out

Before he left, Quentin promised to retire after 10 films: “I don’t want to be an old man film director who’s past his prime. I don’t want my best work to be behind me.” He thought even one bad movie could devalue 3 good ones. Robin thought the reverse was true for actors, citing John Travolta’s late-career revival (“Sometimes I watch these films and I blame you.”), so Quentin laughed: “You can’t blame me for that Michael movie!”