Count Bill Maher among the many who hope Quentin Tarantino’s movie career doesn’t end after his next film. The host of Real Time did his best to convince the director that things don’t have to end for him in Hollywood once his next movie,
Tarantino was on the show to promote his new Once Upon A Time In Hollywood book, which is based on the movie he made in 2019. But Maher essentially used it as a prop to illustrate not only how much he loved the film, but as proof that Tarantino’s career should be far from over.
“To me, your latest one is your peak. This is my favorite of all-time.” Maher said. “So what is this nonsense that you’re only going to make one more movie?”
Tarantino hesitated, trying to figure out exactly what to say while Maher flat-out said it’s a “bad idea.”
“You’re too young to quit, and you’re at the top of your game,” Maher said. To which Tarantino said “that’s why I want to quit.”
The host asked Tarantino how he knew it was time while the audience cheered for Maher.
“Because I know film history, and here on in directors do not get better,” he said. Maher called that “a terrible idea” and scolded him for comparing himself to others rather than evaluating his own work.
“I don’t have a reason that I want to say out loud that’s going to win any argument in the court of public opinion or the Supreme Court or anything like that,” Tarantino countered. “But it is, you know, at the same time, working for 30 years, doing as many movies as I’ve done — which is not as many as other people — that’s a long career.
“And I’ve given it everything I have,” he continued. “I’ve given it every single, solitary thing I have.”
Maher said that he’ll be “bored” in retirement, and tried his best to relate to the director’s sense of history and that you “acquire skills” as you get more experience to make movies better. Interestingly, Tarantino admits that he briefly thought about remaking Reservoir Dogs as his final movie, adding that “I won’t do it, Internet” before people get too excited about the possibility.
The rest of the conversation is equally fascinating but Maher’s discussion about his career, and his desire for it not to end, will certainly resonate with many of the filmmaker’s biggest fans.