Though Quentin Tarantino may have mourned the loss of his longtime friend Michael Madsen in private, his public tribute was long awaited.
Weeks after Madsen passed away on July 3 at the age of 67, the Reservoir Dog director broke his silence at a star-studded memorial held at the Vista Theater, which Tarantino owns.
In video footage that surfaced from the event, the Pulp Fiction filmmaker appeared composed while fondly recalling memories of Madsen, including a behind-the-scenes moment from the set of Reservoir Dogs involving the late actor Lawrence Tierney.
As a first-time director, Tarantino explained that he initially saw "dealing with an insane person" as part of the job.
However, Tierney pushed him too far that Tarantino fired him after a week of shooting, prompting applause from the cast and crew, including Madsen.
Later that day, upon returning home the Kill Bill star was greeted with a supporting voice message via his answering machine from Madsen.
"Just calling to say I really respected what you did tonight, what you did today. It was important. It needed to be done. He was busting your b***s. You had to do it,"Madsen said
He continued, "And I want you to know that I respect that, as my director. I respect that. I respect it as a director, I respect it as a captain, and I respect it as a man. So I’m on your side, buddy. Thanks."
Tarantino and Madsen shared a creative partnership spanning decades. The late actor starred in four of the director’s films, beginning with his breakout role in Reservoir Dogs (1992) and concluding with Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019).