Quentin Tarantino Doesn't Allow This On Set When Filming

With a CV full of stellar movies ranging from "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction" to "Django Unchained" and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," Quentin Tarantino is one of the most esteemed filmmakers working today. To give a quick idea of his notoriety, Tarantino films that never happened have been known to garner more interest than some movies that have, you know, actually been made.  

Given the punchy dialogue Tarantino's works are known for, the viewer might assume that the director likes to keep things pretty cool and casual on set. This, however, is not always true. While Tarantino has his own preferred set of collaborators, things aren't always simple and straightforward. Tarantino's actors have been uncomfortable filming some scenes, and the director also has a very specific pet peeve during filming. In fact, there's one particular thing that Quentin Tarantino absolutely won't allow on set under any circumstances. Let's find out what it is. 

Quentin Tarantino has a "no cell phones on set" policy whenever he's filming. When you think about this, it makes pretty perfect sense — after all, no one wants to hear someone's cell phone ringing when they're watching a movie, so why would Tarantino want someone's phone to go off when he's making one? However, the director is quick to admit that he can be pretty draconian about this.

"Nobody can be anywhere around my camera with a cell phone. We actually have a Checkpoint Charlie [phone check point]," Tarantino explained his approach to cell phones in a 2013 interview with Jay Leno (via Hollywood). "I've done scenes in movies and all of the sudden somebody's cell phone on the crew goes off and ruins the scene. That can't happen. We're here to do something, we're really conjuring up something, and I can't have my actors' acting, or anything that we're trying to do, be messed up by a cell phone. People can say, 'Oh, well I'll remember to put it on silent.' I'm not here to test your memory. We're here to do this."

Apart from this practical part of preventing cell phone-themed obstructions while filming, Tarantino noted that the phone ban also has a social aspect to it. By preventing everyone from tinkering with their social media, he forces them to interact with each other instead, which enables people to work better together.