Quentin Tarantino has recalled Michael Madsen’s supportive reaction after he fired actor Lawrence Tierney from Reservoir Dogs after one week of filming.
Madsen, who died last month at the age of 67, appeared in Tarantino’s first film in 1992, and went on to appear in four of the filmmaker’s later projects.
Tarantino paid tribute to Madsen at a memorial he hosted in Los Angeles’s Vista Theatre. In footage published by TMZ, the director is seen describing the firing of Lawrence Tierney early into the production of Reservoir Dogs.
Tierney, an acclaimed actor known for his portrayals of criminals, was also notorious for his confrontational offscreen behaviour, and was arrested numerous times for violent offences. He died in 2002 at the age of 82.
“It was the last hour of the last day of the first week of shooting,” Tarantino recalled. “I had never directed a movie before. And Lawrence Tierney was a f***ing nightmare. He was completely insane. He was so crazy, and I'm dealing with a crazy man.
“All the other actors and the crew can’t stand him. And all of a sudden, he yells at me, does something disrespectful. And so I fired him at the breakfast table. The crew breaks into applause.”
After angrily telling Tierney that he was fired, Tarantino began to fear that the decision would jeopardise his film, and his future career.
“I thought, I just spent a week shooting this guy. Now I just fired him. [Production company] Live Entertainment is gonna fire me. That's it for my career. It was nice while it lasted. But I had to do it, I had to stand up for myself.”
That night, Tarantino was at his home, when Madsen rang and left a message on voicemail. “He said, ‘It’s Michael,’” Tarantino recalled. “‘Just calling to say that I really respect what you did tonight. It was important, and needed to be done. And I want you to know that I respect it, as a director. I respect it as a captain. And I respect it as a man. I’m on your side, buddy.”
Fortunately, Madsen’s co-star Harvey Keitel was subsequently able to broker peace between Tierney and Tarantino, allowing the actor to finish filming his scenes.
Reservoir Dogs would go on to become one of the most acclaimed and influential films of the 1990s, and helped make Tarantino a household name.
