Quentin Tarantino Says He Draws The Line On Violence When It Comes To Killing Real Animals And Insects On Screen, But People Have Thoughts About His Real Life Morals
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This is Quentin Tarantino — you know, the director known for his violent films like the Kill Bill volumes, Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction, and Inglourious Basterds.
Well, while Tarantino may enjoy depicting graphic displays of bloodshed, he let us all know he does draw one line when it comes to violence in his movies.
In a recent interview with Variety, he said, "I have a big thing about killing animals in movies. That’s a bridge I can’t cross. Insects too."
Tarantino does not mean that he won't put computer-generated imagery of animal or insect death in his movies (as we saw with the horses in Django Unchained), he said he draws the line at "real death."
He told Variety, "Unless I’m paying to see some bizzarro documentary, I’m not paying to see real death. Part of the way that this all works is that it’s all just make believe. That’s why I can stand the violent scenes, cause we’re all just fucking around.”
I was slightly horrified to hear that "real death" of animals or insects could even happen on screen. After researching, I discovered it legally can't, but sometimes limitations in regulations lead filmmakers to break the rules.
America's Got Talent / Via giphy.com
According to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University's College of Law, while federal and state laws do not directly address the use of animals in film or television, the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), and state animal cruelty laws (which all states have) all indirectly apply to animal actors. These laws prevent people from being able to inflict pain or neglect animals.
Additionally, the American Humane Association (AHA) has guidelines that monitor how animals, as well as insects, are treated in Screen Actors Guild movies, television, commercials, and music shows.
So, based off animal cruelty laws and the AHA guidelines, which have been in effect since 1939, animals and insects are forbidden from being harmed in TV and film.
Still, as Michigan State University's College of Law reports, "conflicts of interest, lack of enforcement, man-power issues, and the limited reach of the AHA severely hinder the ability of the AHA to properly protect animal actors," which is likely why there sadly are still some reports of films harming animals.
Strangely, Tarantino still admitted he'd "kill a million rats," but he clarified wouldn't do it for the sake of a movie.
He said, "Some animal, some dog, some llama, some fly, some rat, doesn’t give a fuck about your movie. I’d kill a million rats, but I don’t necessarily want to kill one in a movie or see one killed in a movie, because I’m not paying to see real death.”
Not surprisingly, many people on the internet decided to make jokes about Quentin's real-life morals vs. on-film morals:
Quentin Tarantino: pic.twitter.com/NWfRQAfLXZ
— NOIVAS. (@noivaswright) June 15, 2023
glad he cleared up any confusion about the insects
— kennedy carter (@17xkc) June 14, 2023
— Æ (@aeritaas) June 14, 2023
Yess!! Stick to the feet king!!
— Jules (@Juliephillia) June 14, 2023
umm so thats why uma thurman couldn’t hit that mosquito in kill bill??? pic.twitter.com/PJZuHQ0kuC
— swTnn (@sw_tnn) June 14, 2023
i have seen a woman's leg get severed from the rest of her body and fall out of a car window in a movie of his
— roxie hart (@diandrasdiandra) June 14, 2023
“insects too” is cracking me up
— marysa 🪺 (@marysa_02) June 14, 2023
— ari🌿 (@whiteb0ycrl) June 14, 2023
— HARD FACTOR (@HardFactorNews) June 14, 2023
At least he has some boundaries
— Natalia 🌸 (@cutienataliaa) June 14, 2023
Anyways, considering Tarantino makes scenes that could sometimes pass as true crime, I'm glad to hear the animals and insects are ok.
