Skip to main content
Tags: quentin tarantino | mother | money | podcast

Quentin Tarantino Vowed as a Kid to Never Give His Mother a 'Penny'

Quentin Tarantino Vowed as a Kid to Never Give His Mother a 'Penny'
US director Quentin Tarantino arrives for the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty)

By    |   Tuesday, 10 August 2021 02:47 PM EDT

Quentin Tarantino is opening up about his strained relationship with his mother. 

Speaking during an appearance on Brian Koppelman's podcast, "The Moment," the Oscar winner admitted that he struggled academically at school, and his mother always had  a "hard time" with his "scholastic non-ability."

Tarantino revealed that he began writing screenplays while in grade school. He was 12 when he wrote a script called "Captain Peachfuzz and the Anchovy Bandit."

Despite the achievement, Tarantino said his teachers considered it to be a "defiant act of rebellion" that he was doing instead of his school work. 

In response, Tarantino said his mother was "bitching at me … about that … 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," Tarantino continued, "this little 'writing career' that you’re doing? That s–t is over!'"

The acclaimed filmmaker explained that, when his mother spoke to him about his dreams in "that sarcastic way," he decided there and then that, when he became a successful writer, she would never see any money generated from his career. 

"There will be no house for you," he recalled thinking. "There’s no vacation for you, no Elvis Cadillac for Mommy. You get nothing. Because you said that."

Tarantino stuck to his vow. 

"I helped her out with a jam with the IRS. But no house. No Cadillac, no house," he told Koppelman. 

"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 further stated.

It is not just Tarantino's relationship with his mother that has been rocky. The director is also estranged from his father, who he never knew growing up.

"He had 30 f---ing years to find me and he never did," Tarantino said in June during an appearance on the "WTF" podcast. "But then when I became famous, he crawled out of the woodwork. "It was f---ing horrible. It was a drag. He tried to reach out to me. I wasn’t interested."

The pair met once, but it was not a memory that Tarantino looked back on fondly.

"So one day I was in a café, I’m ordering something and all of a sudden, he is just there," he said during the podcast. "And he’s like, 'Hi. It’s me.' And I look up, and I knew exactly who it was. And I go 'Ugh. I knew this day was going to come,'" Tarantino continued.

"And he goes, 'Yup. That day is today.' And he goes, 'May I sit?' And I just looked at the table, and I waved him away with my hand. I looked at him when I said, 'Ugh.' And then I just looked at my plate and waved him away. Just go, just go. And he went. That was it. I am sure he is alive. He has done enough that when he dies, they’ll write about him."

Related Stories:

Zoe Papadakis

Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.

© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
Quentin Tarantino is opening up about his strained relationship with his mother. Speaking during an appearance on Brian Koppelman's podcast, "The Moment," the Oscar winner admitted that he struggled academically at school, and his mother always had a "hard time" with his...
quentin tarantino, mother, money, podcast
520
2021-47-10
Tuesday, 10 August 2021 02:47 PM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© 2025 Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved