Key Takeaways:
- Unusual Reaction: Quentin Tarantino revealed he felt “kind of turned on” while watching the violent whipping scenes in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
- Shifting Perspective: The acclaimed director explained that he began identifying with the Roman soldiers inflicting the punishment, not with Jesus receiving it.
- Gibson’s Response: When Tarantino later shared this experience with Mel Gibson, the film’s director reportedly “looked at me like I was a f***ing nut.”
- Praise for the Film: Despite his bizarre personal reaction, Tarantino praised the movie as an “extremely enjoyable experience” and lauded Gibson’s “tremendous” directing.
Acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino has once again offered a uniquely provocative take, this time recounting his surprising reaction to Mel Gibson’s 2004 biblical epic, The Passion of the Christ. Speaking on the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Tarantino confessed to an experience that left even Gibson stunned.
A Controversial Confession
Tarantino detailed his visceral response to the film’s brutal depiction of Jesus’s suffering, particularly the scene where Roman soldiers flog him. He described how the intensity of the violence led to a psychological shift in his viewing experience.
“You’re just seeing this guy getting as f***ed up as you’ve ever seen a lead character in a movie get f***ed up before,” Tarantino explained. He set the scene of the Roman soldiers preparing their whips, building a sense of dread. “And then it starts happening.”
He continued, “By the sixth blow, I traded places. And I was now a Roman. And I started getting kind of turned on by the beating… I became the Roman, and all of a sudden the whipping. I started getting the rush of that.”
How Mel Gibson Reacted
Tarantino didn’t keep this startling reaction to himself. He later had the opportunity to meet Mel Gibson and decided to share his perspective on the powerful scene. The response was exactly what one might expect.
“He looked at me like I was a f***ing nut,” Tarantino recalled. “Of course, he doesn’t understand where I’m coming from. And I don’t know if anyone else will.”
While admitting his feelings might sound “perverse,” Tarantino, known for his stylized on-screen violence, noted that “extreme violence is just funny to me.” He ultimately found The Passion of the Christ to be an “extremely enjoyable experience” and praised Gibson for his “tremendous directorial job.” The anecdote provides a fascinating, if unsettling, glimpse into the mind of one of modern cinema’s most distinct voices.
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