Today we’ve learned director Quentin Tarantino is a man who can hold onto a grudge, after the 58-year-old revealed that as a child he vowed to never give his mom a “penny” of his future fortune after she belittled his writing.
In an interview with Brian Koppelman for the Billions creator’s podcast The Moment, the Pulp Fiction director recalls the moment his mother, Connie Zastoupil, wound up removing herself from young Tarantino’s list of “people who will get my money when I’m rich and famous.”
The 12-year-old had the tendency to write screenplays in school instead of essays, resulting in some heat from his teachers. In a proper scolding about her child’s academic performance, Tarantino remembers his mom mocking his early writings, saying, “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.”
Memorializing his ultimate moment of spite, he says, “When she said that 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 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.’” That’s right, Connie, you get none of that $425 million Djano Unchained cash, or your share of Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood’s $370 million, or Inglourious Basterds’ $320 million.
A child of his word, Tarantino stuck to his vow, telling Koppelman, “Yeah. Yeah. I helped her out with a jam with the IRS. But no house. No Cadillac, no house.”
Within this story lies a cautionary tale about belittling young children’s passions, especially when those children are Quentin Tarantino.
“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.”