Actress Rosanna Arquette has criticised Quentin Tarantino's use of the N-word in his 1994 film Pulp Fiction, describing it as 'racist and creepy'. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Arquette, who played a role in the film, said she is 'over the use of the N-word' and cannot stand that Tarantino has been 'given a hall pass'.
Arquette acknowledged that Pulp Fiction is 'iconic' and 'a great film on a lot of levels', but expressed her personal distaste for the racial slur, which is used multiple times in the film, including by Tarantino himself in the role of Jimmie.
Tarantino has faced repeated criticism for his frequent use of the N-word in his films. In 1997, director Spike Lee accused Tarantino of being 'infatuated with that word', questioning whether he wanted to be 'an honorary black man'. However, actor Samuel L. Jackson, who starred in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, defended Tarantino, stating that the word is not offensive in the context of the film.
Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained also drew criticism from Lee, who compared the depiction of slavery to a 'Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western'. Director Antoine Fuqua, however, defended Tarantino, saying he did not believe the director had 'a racist bone in his body'.
In the same interview, Arquette also discussed her refusal of Harvey Weinstein's sexual advances in the early 1990s, claiming she paid a price for saying no. She was among the first to speak out against Weinstein in 2017.
