Quentin Tarantino has paid tribute to his late collaborator Michael Madsen by telling a story from his first film, 1992’s Reservoir Dogs, where the actor applauded him for taking charge.
Early last month, Madsen passed away aged 67. His representatives confirmed that he suffered a cardiac arrest and was found unresponsive by police at his home in Malibu, California on July 3. Reservoir Dogs launched both men’s career, with Tarantino becoming an in-demand filmmaker and Madsen winning plaudits for his portrayal of sadistic bank robber Mr Blonde.
The pair would work together on numerous films after that, with Madsen appearing in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The two would also be involved in 2005’s Sin City.
On Friday, the director hosted a private memorial for Madsen at his cinema, Vista Theatre in Los Angeles. In front of an audience, Tarantino recalled an incident where he had to fire Laurence Tierney (who played Mr White in the film), and how Madsen supported his decision.
“It was the last hour of the last day of the first week of shooting. So, I had never directed a movie before,” he recalled during a story filmed by TMZ. “And Lawrence Tierney was a nightmare. He was completely insane. He was so crazy, and I’d never directed before, so I’m dealing with a crazy man Monday through Saturday”.
He continued: “All the other actors and the crew can’t stand him. And all of a sudden, he yells at me, does something disrespectful. And so, I fired him at the breakfast table. The crew breaks into applause. I thought I just spent a week shooting this guy. Now I just fired him. (Studio) Live Entertainment is gonna fire me. That’s it for my career. It was nice while it lasted. But I had to do it, I had to stand up for myself”.
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In the aftermath, he recalled a message he received from Madsen on his answering machine. “He said, ‘Yea, Quentin, it’s Michael,’” he said. ‘’Just calling to say that I respected what you did tonight. It was important, and needed to be done. He was busting your balls, and you had to do it. And I want you to know that I respect it, as a director, I respect it as a captain, and I respect it as a man. So, I’m on your side, buddy. Thanks’”.
Tierney was a character actor famous for his portrayal of gangsters in 1950s, who passed away in 2002.
Recently, Brad Pitt spoke about the making of The Adventures Of Cliff Booth, a follow up to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, and explained why David Fincher had stepped in to direct it.
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