Denzel Washington & Quentin Tarantino Fell Out For Years Over A Movie Only One Of Them Is Credited On (2025)

Three decades ago, Quentin Tarantino and Denzel Washington had a falling out during production of a film that only one of them is credited for. Both Tarantino and Washington have had significantly important careers in Hollywood. Quentin Tarantino's movies are some of the best in modern Hollywood, while Denzel Washington is commonly considered one of the best actors of all time. Despite the popularity of both of them, neither has been credited for working on the same film, for a particular reason.

Despite not "officially" working together, Denzel Washington has expressed interest in doing it. In an interview on the Friday Night With Jonathan Ross show (via YouTube), Tarantino even said he would be honored to have Denzel Washington play a role in one of his films. Given that interview was back in 2009, the two of them have still never worked together - though it almost happened. In 1995, a film titled Crimson Tide brought the two of them together briefly before being the catalyst for their falling out.

Why Quentin Tarantino Wasn't Credited On Crimson Tide

Following the electric combo of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Tarantino found himself as a hot commodity in Hollywood, particularly for his strong dialogue and ability to reference pop culture in engaging and snappy ways. Because of this, Quentin Tarantino was brought on to help punch up the dialogue of Crimson Tide, a 1995 submarine-focused action thriller starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott. It's unclear exactly how much dialogue Tarantino added to Crimson Tide, but much of what he wrote for it was known for its pop culture references.

Related

Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali share a historic Oscars record, but thanks to one of 2024's biggest movies, Washington could break it next year.

Posts

Even if Quentin Tarantino wrote some additional material for Crimson Tide, he was never officially credited for it. It's not exactly clear why that was the case, but he was ostensibly a script doctor, and they typically don't do enough substantial rewriting to get credited. There was also a feud that brewed between Tarantino and Denzel Washington during Crimson Tide that could have contributed to Quentin Tarantino not officially being given credit for his work on the film.

Denzel Washington & Quentin Tarantino's Feud Explained

Denzel Washington has spent decades delivering some of the greatest performances in film. Having him in a movie acting out some of Quentin Tarantino's dialogue sounds like a dream come true, but unfortunately, it ended up starting a feud between the two of them that lasted for a significant amount of time. The feud came about because of Tarantino injecting some racist dialogue into the film, a problematic element of his writing that has followed Quentin Tarantino through his career.

Tarantino even cast himself as a character that says quite racist things in Pulp Fiction.

While Denzel Washington has never explicitly stated which moments or scenes of the film he took offense to, it's easy to look at one specific scene to see where the problem might lie. Toward the end of the film, there is a scene where Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman's characters are having a conversation about a specific breed of stallions that are all white and are considered the most highly trained horses in the world. It's a strange scene that doesn't seem to fit all that well within the film itself and adds a bit of unneeded racial tension.

Washington Revealed How The Feud Eventually Ended

For years, it seemed like the feud between Quentin Tarantino and Denzel Washington was going to last for a very long time, but during an interview with GQ back in 2012, Washington opened up about his daughter, Katia, working with Tarantino on Django Unchained, and talked a bit about how he moved past the feelings he held for Tarantino after their falling out on Crimson Tide. After the interviewer brought up the feud between the two of them, Washington explained how they moved past it, stating:

Isn't that interesting how life goes? But I buried that hatchet. I sought him out ten years ago. I told him, "Look, I apologize." You've just gotta let that go. You gonna walk around with that the rest of your life? He seemed relieved. And then here we are ten years later, and my daughter's working with him. Life is something.

What once felt like a dream come true, turned into a falling out between two legendary people in film history, that ended up lasting for a number of years. It's great that Denzel Washington and Quentin Tarantino were able to move past the feelings that were harbored at the time, but it is also understandable why Washington held those feelings. Still, with Crimson Tide three decades behind them, it would be nice to see the two of them work together officially at least once before either of them decides to retire.See AlsoEvery Movie Starring Denzel Washington On Netflix (& Some Are Leaving Soon)7 best Denzel Washington movies to stream right nowMark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington Teamed for a $131 Million Buddy Cop Action Film Over 10 Years AgoHow ‘The Piano Lesson’ Helped John David Washington Rediscover His Passion for Acting

Your Rating

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star

Rate Now

0/10

Leave a Review

Your comment has not been saved

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Success!

9.9/10

Crimson Tide

R

Thriller

Action

Drama

Crimson Tide is a submarine thriller directed by Tony Scott, set during a period of political turmoil in Russia. The film follows Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, played by Denzel Washington, who clashes with Captain Frank Ramsey, played by Gene Hackman, over the interpretation of orders from the US government. As tensions rise, the crew of the USS Alabama must navigate the crisis and prevent a catastrophic outcome.

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

Not available

*Availability in US