The daughter of Bruce Lee and head of her late father’s foundation tore into director Quentin Tarentino over his recent comments about the legendary martial artist and actor.
As AsAmNews reported, Tarantino said critics of his portrayal of the action star as arrogant in his movie Once Upon A Time in Hollywood could “go suck a d*ck.”
He made his comments on Joe Rogan’s Spotify podcast while promoting his new book based on the movie.
“Why does Quentin Tarantino speak like he knew Bruce Lee and hated him? It seems weird given he never met Bruce Lee,” wrote Shannon Lee in The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m really f*cking tired of White men in Hollywood trying to tell me who Bruce Lee was,” she continued.
“I’m tired of hearing from White men in Hollywood that he was arrogant and an asshole when they have no idea and cannot fathom what it might have taken to get work in 1960s and ’70s Hollywood as a Chinese man with (God forbid) an accent, or to try to express an opinion on a set as a perceived foreigner and person of color.”
She went on to point out that Tarantino doesn’t know her father and never even met him. She said the scene of her father losing a fight to a fictitious character, Cliff Booth, is just that- a work of fiction.
Given that Asian Americans are being told to “go home,” are increasingly under physical attack, while being “demonized” and seen as “not American,” she said Tarantino’s comments are “not welcomed.”
She urged Tarantino to consider the impact of his words and to take a pass on commenting about her father.
In his remarks on Rogen’s podcast, Tarantino acknowledged that Shannon would have feelings about his comments.
“I can understand his daughter having a problem with it,” he said. “It’s her f–king father.”
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Really disappointed to hear of Tarantino’s hurtful words as I have always been a fan of his work. Hopefully he will be able to be more sensitive to what he says in the future.
“Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” is a “comedy,” and it was not based on a real account. I haven’t watched the film and I didn’t plan to. I’ve honestly have not had an interest in any of Quentin Tarantino’s films. I am glad Shannon Lee has spoken up about it, because it ensures I won’t be watching it. Had she not spoken out against it.. I wouldn’t have even known there was Bruce Lee segment of the film.
Bruce Lee will forever be a legend and is without question one of greatest martial artists to have ever lived. A hero to many.