Quentin Tarantino’s Very First Monologue He Ever Wrote Added a Strange Twist to a Classic Film

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is famous for writing several exceptional monologues. Some of his movies’ most memorable moments are the attention-grabbing monologues. Pulp Fiction‘s Ezekiel 25:17 and Kill Bill: Volume 2‘s Superman monologues are some of the best examples. Tarantino couples the dialogue with exceptional actors to deliver these show-stopping scenes. He once recalled the first monologue he ever wrote that included a strange twist to an Oscar-winning movie.

Quentin Tarantino excels at writing

Tarantino has earned two Oscars for his writing in 1994’s Pulp Fiction and 2013’s Django Unchained. Both movies have famous monologues. However, he was once again nominated in the same category for 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Bong Joon Ho and Jin-won Han’s Parasite ultimately edged him out and scored the win that year.

Tarantino has a dedicated fan base that is very passionate about his work. There’s an ongoing discourse regarding which Tarantino monologue is the best. However, fans’ opinions are rather varied. True Romance, Inglourious Basterds, and Pulp Fiction seem to be the most common titles brought up.

Quentin Tarantino recalls the first monologue he ever wrote

Tarantino once appeared on the El Rey Network to talk with fellow director Robert Rodriguez about his legendary career. The Pulp Fiction filmmaker recalled that he once took acting classes, although he was more interested in cinema than becoming a big actor. Tarantino didn’t have an interest in writing until a fellow classmate spoke out about his first-ever monologue.

“I never really took it seriously until a member of the class…’Quentin, you’re really good. You’re as good as Paddy Chayefsky,” Tarantino said. “‘What do you mean I’m as good as Paddy Chayefsky?’ ‘Well, you know, we did that scene in class from Marty and you just wrote it down.'”

“‘You gave me this handwritten scene from Marty,'” Tarantino recalled. “‘You included this entire monologue about a fountain. Well, I actually have the original Paddy Chayefsky script and there was no monologue about a fountain in there. That was entirely added by you.'”

Tarantino recounted: “‘You added an entire monologue and it was just as good as the Paddy Chayefsky stuff.’ Someone saying something like that to you actually got me to start taking it seriously. That maybe I did have a talent for that.”

The move from film to novels

Tarantino recently released his first novel. He wrote a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelization. Critics and audiences both praised the book. It added more depth to the movie and provided a different ending. He’s already scheduled to write a second book, which will tackle the New Hollywood era. Film critic Pauline Kael inspires the new book.

Tarantino is only expecting to make one more movie before retiring. However, it’s possible that he could continue his career in writing novels. There’s certainly an audience who would love to see Tarantino move into that space.