April 2004 | blackfilm.com | features | interviews | kill bill volume 2: an interview with director quentin tarantino

April 2004

Kill Bill Volume 2: An Interview with Director Quentin Tarantino

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By Alberlynne “Abby” Harris

Kill Bill Volume 2: An Interview with Director Quentin Tarantino

Giving us the next installment in the Kill Bill series with Volume 2, Quentin Tarantino continues the thrill ride of a vengeful bride, played brilliantly by Uma Thurman. Blackfilm.com sat with Quentin Tarantino to discuss Volume 2 providing depth into the storyline that audiences have been waiting for.

Have you seen the Missy Elliot video that pays homage to Kill Bill?

QT: I'm dying to see it. I've left the television on BET on all day so that I can catch it. I know about it. I met her at the Grammys and we talked about it a little bit. The Pussy-wagon is my car, by the way. They had to rent it from me. I was very honored.

So what does a Pussy-wagon go for these days?

QT: I don't really know, because we had to create all of that. Then we have to sell it when it's over with for like ten cents on the dollar. That's what happens with anything that is cool on a set.

Who came up with the Bride's name?

QT: Actually, Uma did back in 1993 when we were doing Pulp Fiction. The last name comes from the term of endearment that I use with women I like.

What's with today's fascination with girl fights?

QT: I'm not trying to be big-headed about myself, but I think I have done me and my actresses very proud. I just have a lot of admiration for it. I showed them all a lot of the different Kung-Fu films with female fight scenes.

We heard you made some last minute changes to the script, on set. Can you tell us about that?

QT: I don't believe in writing a movie in my bedroom and then trying to create it exactly to that feeling I got while I was in my bedroom. I like to have the script, be on set in China or in Barstow, and say, "How do I feel now," and then create or make changes. It's not so much improvisation; its inspiration. That is a part of a director's job. To see that moment, to see that cool thing on the set or whatever happens to be there and be inspired by that and build on it. That is stuff I cannot think of in my bedroom. I want to be inspired and create something that is living. I want to capture some sort of life.

Were some of the scenes inspired by the movie "Jackass"?

I had a screening of "Jackass" for the crew and Daryl [Hannah] was the one who pointed out the similarities in the movie and her fight scene. She gets all this gross stuff happening to her. That's not really the truth, but I must admit, sitting in a theatre with an audience laughing, I thought, hey it's not a bad idea. It just confirmed my feelings about the scene.

Will there be a Volume 3 to Kill Bill?

There might very well be. I've thought about doing another volume to the movie, but not right now. I've thought about doing it fifteen years from now. The Bride would not be the star. It would be about her daughter. I've got the whole mythology figured out how she grows up and what would happen. It is quite complex. We'd go on her journey, and it would also be one of revenge.

Is it true that there are different versions of Kill Bill?

QT: That's the most interesting thing about making this movie. There is no definitive version. There are different versions. Each one plays differently. I'll give you an example. There is a Japanese version and an American and European version. If you put the two movies together, that's a different movie. If I were able to put one chapter from the Kill Bill series in the theatres, say on a weekly basis, by the time you got to the end of the last chapter, you would have seen Kill Bill and it would not have been compromised. I cannot think of another film that I have made or will ever make that will be so malleable.

Why did you choose to limit the amount of mythology you put in the film?

QT: I don't really have time to tell the viewers all the mythology behind the movie, but I do what I can. Take for instance the character of Budd. He has Herculean strength. I'm not sure how much that comes across, but that was my intention to show that. You want the characters to have a conclusion, but sometimes, you just do not need another fight. It's one of those things were a lot of Hong-Kong movies stumble. Some make the end fight too big and we've seen too much and we are a little too tired. Some scenes are just designed to be heavy dialogue scenes, but that's me. "Reservoir Dogs" is a heist movie and you never see the heist.

Is it true that you had another actor in mind to play Bill?

QT: While I had another actor in mind, I was also reading David Carradine's autobiography. It's one of the most amazing autobiographies I had ever read. I just kind of fell in love with this guy and as I am reading it, I can see that he could take the character in a different direction. You cannot look at a film with tunnel vision.

How do you feel about Volume 2 in light of the reception of Volume 1?

QT: We just had to do all the post stuff. I was interested to see how it was all going to play out. I don't shoot it to have all kinds of elbow room. I like to lock myself into what I want to do. I do not shoot a lot of coverage, I shoot what I want. I was curious because this is a very unique experience. It was unique to finish Volume 1, promote it, go to premieres, read the reviews, and talk about it metaphorically. These are all the things I try not to think about or simply do not have to deal with while I am making the film. Then I sit back and say, "Okay, this is what I have done." And then, I come back and do it all again. It was very, very strange. I wonder if it would affect me but in the end it didn't. The only thing it did was bring out all the people who were looking for the story and the dialogue. You want dialogue? I give you dialogue in Volume 2!

Thank You.

QT: Thank you.

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