Jamie Adams reveals truth about directing Quentin Tarantino during six-day shoot for Only What We Carry

Long before Quentin Tarantino became the acclaimed director he is today, he set out to pursue his first love: acting.

This lesser-known detail was key to Welsh indie director Jamie Adams landing the Oscar-winning filmmaker for a role in his forthcoming film Only What We Carry.

Adams’ new movie — a French drama about a former student who returns home to face her past, stirring long-buried truths among a group of interconnected individuals — stars Tarantino in his biggest acting role in 30 years, alongside Sofia Boutella, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lizzy McAlpine, Liam Hellmann and Simon Pegg.

Despite having only six days to shoot the project, “Tarantino proved to be an exceptional actor. Naturally gifted,” the She is Love director revealed in a new interview with Variety.

“He was wonderful. Curious. Collaborative. He loves actors. He loves cinema history. Being in France making something that felt inspired by Eric Rohmer excited him,” Adams added.

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Of how he approached The Hateful Eight director, Adams said: “Very similar to everyone else. I guess I was offering something that he wasn’t offered ever.

“It felt like he was in a moment of contemplation,” he noted of Tarantino, who recently scrapped what was expected to be his final directing project, The Movie Critic. “I also knew that his first love was acting. When I was younger, it was common knowledge that he wanted to act — he speaks first in Reservoir Dogs. So I appealed to that side of him.”

The Django Unchained filmmaker’s 1992 directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs, also served as his acting debut. He has since made brief cameos in most of his cult-classics, including Inglourious Basterds and Pulp Fiction. Tarantino, 62, has also appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, mostly in minor roles. His most significant acting role was in Robert Rodriguez’s 1996 action-horror From Dusk Til Dawn, alongside George Clooney.

“I sent him the story outline and a letter. I was just very honest about believing in him as an actor,” Adams continued. “Improvisation, the way I use it, is about being present and reacting organically. He’s one of the greatest conversational storytellers. I thought that would be incredible in character. I didn’t think I’d hear back. But two weeks later, on a Sunday, his agent emailed saying Quentin was intrigued and wanted a Zoom.”

As for another high-profile name he’d love to land for his next film, Adams named Martin Scorsese. “It’s time for the directors who really want to be actors to come and improvise,” he said. “[French filmmaker François] Truffaut was a great actor. So many of them are frustrated actors.”