Quentin Tarantino is one of the most celebrated and beloved filmmakers of our time. The writer/director first got his start with 1992’s Reservoir Dogs and has gone on to make many iconic films like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and most recently 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. But apparently prior to massive success, his mother Connie Zastoupil did not cheer on his writing pursuits and Tarantino is still sour about it.
A couple weeks ago, Tarantino shocked many when he shared on a podcast appearance that he has stuck to a childhood vow he made to himself about his mother, Connie Zastoupil, to “get nothing” from his success because of her words. The filmmaker would apparently put off his classwork to get a headstart on his writing career, to which she once said “this little writing career that you’re doing? That shit is fucking over” during a “tirade” that stuck with him. As he shared with The Moment with Brian Koppelman:
And when she said that to me in that sarcastic way, I was in my head, and I went, ‘OK, lady, when I become a successful writer, you will never see Penny One 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.
Tarantino said he once helped her out of a “jam with the IRS,” but besides that, he has not bought her a house or Cadillac despite his net worth being a reported $120 million. Following Quentin Tarantino’s viral comments, Connie Zastoupil has responded, sharing these words to USA Today:
Regarding my son Quentin – I support him, I'm proud of him and love him and his growing new family. It gave me great joy to dance at his wedding and receive his news upon the birth of my Grandson Leo.
It sounds like there are no hard feelings from Tarantino’s mother. 74-year-old Connie Zastoupil took the high road by sharing the pride she shares with her filmmaker son, along with pointing out highlight moments with him, including his 2018 wedding to Israeli singer Daniella Pick and the birth of their son in February 2020.
Connie Zastoupil also added that she had no interest in taking part in “this salacious transactional media frenzy” where comments “spin and go viral without full context.” While on the podcast, Quentin Tarantino attributed his comments and actions regarding his mother “consequences” for her words even though he also admitted the comments to being "sarcastic" and understanding she was trying to teach him a lesson about doing what you’re supposed to in class.
Tarantino recently released his first novelization for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and celebrated the book with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast with a nearly two-hour conversation live at the New Beverly Cinema. During the interview, he spoke about his plans for his tenth and final film, making Kill Bill with Uma Thurman and the “depressing” state of the movie industry.
