Quentin Tarantino is one of the most acclaimed and influential filmmakers of our time, known for his distinctive style, genre-bending stories, and memorable characters. But he is also a man who loves Israel, where he has been living for the past three years with his wife, Israeli singer Daniella Pick, and their two children.
Tarantino recently visited a military base in southern Israel to boost the morale of Israeli troops amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas, the terrorist group that launched a devastating attack on Oct. 7 that killed more than 1,400 people and took hundreds of hostages in Gaza. The director of “Pulp Fiction” and “Inglourious Basterds” toured military bases and mingled with soldiers and residents, igniting a social media frenzy of selfies and videos.
“A bright moment during a dark time: Legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino showed his solidarity with the Israeli people by making a surprise visit to southern Israel, which has been completely devastated by Hamas’ ongoing terror war,” wrote Stand With Us, a nonprofit organization against antisemitism, on its Instagram account1.
Tarantino met his wife in Israel in 2009 during his promotional tour for “Inglourious Basterds”, a film that depicts a fictional plot to assassinate Nazi leaders during World War II. They dated on and off before marrying in an intimate reform Jewish ceremony at their Beverly Hills home in 2018. They moved to Tel Aviv shortly after their son Leo was born in February 2020, planning to split time between Israel and LA, but made Israel their main base during the early days of the pandemic lockdown in 2019.
The couple bought a six-bedroom villa on Elkakhi Street in Ramat Aviv Gimmel, a quiet neighborhood in northern Tel Aviv and within spying distance of the Mediterranean. Pick is practically royalty in Israel, where she has been as famous as Tarantino since birth. Her father is Svika Pick, an iconic 1970s Israeli pop musician with long locks and an eccentric sense of style.
Tarantino has said in previous interviews that he loves the country and the people, who are very nice to him and seem excited that he is there. He described Tel Aviv as a smaller version of LA, with “magnificent restaurants, cool bars, cool clubs.” He also said that he enjoys learning Hebrew, which he finds “a very fun language to speak.”
But while Tarantino is passionate about Israel, he is not interested in making a movie about its political climate. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter2, he explained why:
“I wouldn’t make a movie about the political climate [in Israel]. I’m not an expert on it. I’m not a citizen. I don’t vote. I’m just a visitor who loves the place. I don’t think it’s my place to comment on the situation or take sides. I think there are enough people doing that already.”
Tarantino added that he respects the opinions of other filmmakers who have addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in their works, such as Steven Spielberg (“Munich”), Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), and Paul Greengrass (“United 93”), but he prefers to focus on other topics that inspire him.
“I make movies about what I’m interested in, what I’m passionate about, what I think is cool or funny or exciting or dramatic. I don’t make movies to send a message or educate people or change the world. I make movies to entertain people and make them feel something.”
Tarantino said that he is currently working on his next project, which he described as “a very personal story” that is partly based on his own life experiences. He did not reveal any details about the plot or the cast, but he hinted that it will be different from anything he has done before.
“It’s not a genre film. It’s not a historical film. It’s not a crime film. It’s not a comedy. It’s not a horror film. It’s something else. It’s something new. It’s something I’ve never tried before.”
Tarantino also said that he is still planning to retire after making his tenth film, which means that his next project could be his last one.
“I’ve always said that I want to go out on a high note. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. I don’t want to become irrelevant or repetitive or boring. I want to leave behind a legacy of quality and originality. I want to be remembered as one of the greats.”
Tarantino said that he hopes his fans will enjoy his final film as much as they have enjoyed his previous ones, and that they will continue to support him in whatever he decides to do next.
“I’m very grateful for all the love and appreciation that I’ve received from my fans over the years. They are the reason why I do what I do. They are the best. I hope they will stick with me until the end, and beyond.”