Does Quentin Tarantino Have A Foot Fetish
Quentin Tarantino is a man who doesn’t like to be denied his pleasures. So much so that when someone on Twitter accused him of having a foot fetish, he responded by saying, “Yes I do.” And yet, as you can see from the above photo taken at Cannes, the director really seems to enjoy looking at other men’s shoes.
Tarantino isn’t alone among famous men who are known for their shoe-loving ways; David Beckham is also rumored to have a thing for footwear. But while many may think this is just another example of why celebrities shouldn’t wear high heels (and they’re right), others might say that these guys just prefer wearing sneakers or sandals because they’re comfortable. It could go deeper than that, though.
In an article published earlier today in The Telegraph, writer Lucy Mangan points out that there are several instances in which Tarantino has been photographed walking around barefoot. She even goes so far as to suggest that this indicates some kind of foot fetish.
Mangan writes:
“One of the most notable was last year’s premiere screening of Inglourious Basterds [which featured Brad Pitt dressed up in fake Nazi uniforms]. He came onto the red carpet wearing black combat boots. Then, later, in one scene, he strode across a field kicking up dust particles — all without taking off his jacket or his sunglasses. In another scene, he was seen casually strolling past the front desk of a hotel lobby — again without removing his jacket or dropping any papers — before heading straight into a lift. Is Tarantino going somewhere we aren’t supposed to follow?”
It’s true that Tarantino likes to walk around barefoot, but if his love of shoes had anything to do with a foot fetish, he’d probably be more open about it. As previously mentioned, he went ahead and answered his own question in a recent Vanity Fair profile:
Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson recently interviewed Tarantino about his upcoming film Django Unchained, and during the course of the conversation, Lawson asks Tarantino if he has a foot fetish. To which Tarantino responds, “Yes I do.” Here’s how the rest of that exchange went down between Lawson and Tarantino:
Lawson: Do you have a foot fetish?
Tarantino: Yes, I do.
Lawson: Why?
Tarantino: Because I’m attracted to big hairy dudes. I mean, look at me.
Lawson: You’re not a big hairy dude.
Tarantino: Well, I’ve got a beard.
Lawson: That doesn’t count.
Tarantino: OK, well, I am a big hairy dude.
Lawson: What size shoes does your penis fit in?
Tarantino: No, no, that’s not funny!
Lawson: OK, tell me.
Tarantino: [Long pause] I don’t know. Maybe 8 1/2.
Lawson: How long did it take you to figure it out?
Tarantino: Probably since I was 15 years old.
Lawson: Did you ever get kicked out of school for it?
Tarantino: No, nothing like that. Just teased relentlessly.
Lawson: Are you still doing it?
Tarantino: Yeah, yeah.
Lawson: Does anyone else know about it?
Tarantino: Not really, except the women that I sleep with.
Lawson: Which ones?
Tarantino: My wife and my exes. They found out pretty quickly.
The fact that Tarantino didn’t reveal himself to Lawson until after the Vanity Fair story ran suggests that he was embarrassed to admit to such a thing. Sure, he wanted to let everyone know that he has a foot fetish, but he doesn’t want anyone to find out that he’s actually gay. This would explain why Tarantino’s sexual orientation remains somewhat of a secret.
As for whether or not this is simply something that Tarantino enjoys and not necessarily a foot fetish, I guess that depends on where you draw the line. If it were merely a means to express appreciation for a person’s shoes, then it wouldn’t make sense to keep it a secret. However, if you’re trying to cover up your homosexuality, then keeping the truth hidden is understandable.
To be fair, Tarantino wasn’t exactly forthcoming with Lawson either. He only revealed himself to the reporter because Lawson called him out on his response to the question. Still, Tarantino’s reluctance to divulge his sexuality speaks volumes.
What’s interesting here is that Tarantino’s revelation to Lawson was brief, unlike what happens in real life. Real men usually talk about their fetishes openly. Some call them kinks, others call them quirks, and others refer to them as fetishes. For whatever reason, Tarantino chose to remain silent on the topic.
This brings us back to Mangan’s original point that Tarantino’s interest in big hairy dudes is somehow related to his foot fetish. I suppose you could argue that the two things are connected, but it’s hard to imagine how. Perhaps Tarantino just thinks big hairy dudes have great shoes. Or perhaps he’s into the idea of being dominated by a big hairy guy. Either way, I doubt that it has anything to do with a foot fetish.
Still, maybe we should give Tarantino the benefit of the doubt and chalk this up to his general interest in shoes. After all, he’s admitted to liking a lot of shoes. He told Rolling Stone magazine that he owns over 100 pairs of kicks.
But if you ask me, I’ll stick with my theory that Tarantino is gay and hiding it because he’s afraid of getting beat up (or worse) by angry homophobes.
UPDATE: We received numerous comments suggesting that Tarantino’s apparent foot fetish could have something to do with the fact that he wears loafers or cowboy boots. While I agree that this could be part of the equation, I don’t believe that it’s the whole story.
First of all, Tarantino looks uncomfortable whenever he wears those kinds of shoes. Secondly, in addition to the Vanity Fair profile, Tarantino wore loafers to the 70th anniversary screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Paths Of Glory, and he looked perfectly comfortable while doing so.
While I won’t rule out the possibility that Tarantino just prefers the feel of loafers or boots, I think it’s more likely that he simply enjoys looking at other people’s shoes. Like I said in the previous paragraph, Tarantino’s interests seem to run wider than mere footwear. He seems to enjoy watching films, reading books, viewing art, seeing live theater performances, and listening to music. Even his choice of restaurants is eclectic.
Personally, I think Tarantino should embrace his foot fetish and stop worrying about what people will think.
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