Jessica Jordan

Quentin Tarantino. His films are innovative and deep - the closest thing to Shakespeare since Shakespeare. Of course they're completely different styles. What I mean by equating them is that you can tell Tarantino is not writing for the audience, he is writing for himself. He has a vortex of happenings going on inside, and it needs to come out. There is a truth and a genuine motivation in his characters that isn't crippled by what the audience wants them to do. The same with Shakespeare. If it's time to die, the character dies - because that's life. Life's not fair. It doesn't produce the sunset ending every time. And characters are simply living their fate, as truthfully as life dictates. That's why Tarantino has the balls to kill off his main character John Travolta, in the middle of the movie. I remember watching that in the theater thinking, "OH MY GOD, What's supposed to happen now? The main character's dead!" And it was perfect! The whole rest of the movie still happened, even around the dead character. I don't think any filmmaker has ever done this before.

One of my favorite modern movies is most certainly Kill Bill. I love and appreciate the character of Uma Thurman profoundly. And the greatest thing about it, Tarantino beautifully justifies each one of her skills. She's not just this invented cardboard Hollywood badass that's one-dimensionally invented because it would be cool to have a beautiful, avenging ninja girl kicking everyone's ass with a sword. No. I believe every step Tarantino took me through that made her that way. All of her skills were justified and learned. And what got me the most: The coffin scene. She actually learned from Pai Mei for months on end, maybe years, how to break through a piece of wood that was an inch in front of your hand. Tarantino uses time so beautifully the way he tells that story.

Anyway, Tarantino, that's who I'd like to meet - moreso, work with....