Quentin Tarantino is regarded by many cinephiles as one of the best filmmakers working today, so his son Leo certainly has a valuable source of cinematic knowledge in his father. With Minions: The Rise of Gru now playing in theaters, perhaps it is fitting that Tarantino has revealed the potentially surprising choice of Despicable Me 2 as the first film his young son has seen.
While fans still wait to see what Tarantino's supposedly last movie will be, the revered filmmaker is launching a podcast titled Video Archives Podcast with his friend and collaborator, Roger Avary. It was while promoting this new venture that Tarantino discussed that he's been watching with his son Leo.
During an interview with Empire for the same issue promoting James Cameron's Avatar sequel, Tarantino recalled how he ended up introducing his son to film through Despicable Me 2 sort of by accident. "[My son is] pretty young, so he’s only really seen one movie," Tarantino said. "I thought I was hitting a Minions cartoon, and I realise it’s Despicable Me Part 2. And he seemed to be interested in the opening credits, so I go, ‘Okay, I guess we’re watching Despicable Me Part 2.'" As can be expected with a small child, this viewing of the second film to feature the Minions was not done in one sitting. "He gets up and he walks behind the couch, but he’s still watching the TV. We watched it for 20 minutes until it was time for him to go to the park, and then the next day we watched another 15 minutes of it," Tarantino recalled. "And so, in the course of a week, in small bites, the first movie Leo ever watched was Despicable Me Part 2."
Of course, the adventures of the Minions aren't all that Tarantino's been watching with his son. It turns out father and child have been watching the beloved children's show Peppa Pig together, which Tarantino finds a less "consuming experience" than sitting through Despicable Me. In fact, Tarantino has rather high praise for Peppa Pig, saying, "I actually do like Peppa Pig; I watch it a lot. I’ll say it – Peppa Pig is the greatest British import of this decade."
That's certainly a lot of praise from the man behind acclaimed films like Pulp Fiction, which is often regarded as one of the best films ever made and possibly the number one choice for fans when it comes to Best Picture Oscar snubs. Then again, Tarantino is often celebrated for the many film and television influences seen in his work, so perhaps it shouldn't be surprising for a man with such varied taste to be a fan of Peppa Pig.
Minions: The Rise of Gru is now playing in theaters.
Source: Empire