Director Quentin Tarantino has inspired quite a few headlines recently, due to his ongoing feud with the largest police union in the country.
Tarantino is no stranger to controversy. But for many critics, his presence at a police brutality protest in the heart of New York City seemed out of place or difficult to reconcile.
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When I think back to the conversation I had with the director this summer, though, I think I can understand why he feels so passionately about the issue.
Despite his rock-star credentials and flamboyant persona, I discovered a man who is extraordinarily protective of his personal identity. I asked him three times to describe himself, and what matters to him. It was a tense moment in the interview -- as boisterous as Tarantino may be, he wasn't nearly as comfortable having an introspective moment on camera. That said, he finally acquiesced and answered.
His response sat with me for several days, and now, as the controversy of the last few weeks has unfolded, I found his answer downright revealing. At his core, he says he is driven by issues of race and a disdain for injustice. Added to the mix is the fact that Tarantino clearly doesn't respond well to the feeling of being threatened.