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Quentin Tarantino is one of the most beloved and respected people in the film industry. His respect far exceeds the films that he creates, being known for his unique style and talent of capturing the golden years of Hollywood, only to start a genre of his own. On top of his skills with a camera, he has always been a vocal feminist, speaking on serious issues and being known for having excellent female characters in the films he makes.
However, it would seem that the icon wasn’t always as strict about his activism as his fans would like him to be. In fact, he once publicly declared that a thirteen-year-old victim of Roman Polanski hadn’t been r*ped.
Quentin Tarantino questioned a r*pe victim
Roman Polanski’sreputation in Hollywood could not get any more sour. He is a convicted s*x offender, having several charges to prove it and having even served time in jail for the same. With this, one would assume that he was condemned by the industry as a whole. However, there were many who took his side, includingQuentin Tarantino.
He didn’t rpe a 13-year-old. It was statutory rpe…he had sex with a minor. That’s not rpe. To me, when you use the word rpe, you’re talking about violent, throwing them down — it’s like one of the most violent crimes in the world,
In 2018, a clip from his interview with Howard Stern (viaYouTube) in 2003 began to resurface, and it is safe to say that it does not paint the director in a positive light. Here, he talked about the charges that Polanski was facing for unlawful intercourse with a minor, 13-year-old Samantha Geimer.
She wanted to have it,
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Tarantino outright stated that he did not believe it to be rpe, simply calling it intercourse with a minor, even alluding to the fact that she wasn’t against it. He added that she was making all of this up because she got into trouble with her mother. The director called the child a “party girl,” saying that the word ‘rpe’ was being used too loosely and things could have been a lot more complicated than that.
I don’t believe it’s r*pe, not at 13, not for these 13-year-old party girls.
Even Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers were against what the director was saying, asking if he was friends with Polanski. Tarantino mentioned that he had only met him once and wasn’t close with him. However, he continued with his stand, believing that she gave Polanski consent for what happened to her.
Quentin Tarantino was in big trouble
Naturally, as soon as the interview resurfaced, fans were outraged at what Quentin Tarantino said. Even though the clips were from more than a decade ago, they could not help but fume at the kind of mentality he was putting out, especially considering his stance on feminist issues. The news spread so far that Samantha Geimer ended up talking to theDaily Newsabout it.
He was wrong. I bet he knows it. I hope he doesn’t make an a– of himself and keep talking that way. I’m not upset, but I would probably feel better if he realizes now that he was wrong, after 15 years, after hearing the facts. Nobody has to be pissed off on my behalf. I’m okay.
She mentioned that the director was very wrong about her giving consent to Roman Polanski but added that she would feel better if he apologized to her. Interestingly enough, Tarantino ended up calling her to apologize in person and even issued a statement toIndieWire.
I want to publicly apologize to Samantha Geimer for my cavalier remarks on “The Howard Stern Show” speculating about her and the crime that was committed against her. Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was. Ms. Geimer WAS r*ped by Roman Polanski. When Howard brought up Polanski, I incorrectly played devil’s advocate in the debate for the sake of being provocative. I didn’t take Ms. Geimer’s feelings into consideration and for that I am truly sorry. So, Ms. Geimer, I was ignorant, and insensitive, and above all, incorrect.
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He mentioned that he ended up getting lost in the mix in trying to be provocative and controversial and does not stand by what he said in 2003 at all. While he did apologize profusely for his words, one cannot help but have a foul taste in their mouth after what he said.
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
