Bill Maher attempts to convince Quentin Tarantino to drop his 'terrible idea' of quitting directing

Quentin Tarantino is still planning to quit directing movies after making just one more, and Bill Maher isn't happy about it.

The Oscar-winning director appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher Friday to promote his new Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelization, and he reiterated for the umpteenth time that he truly plans to direct only one more film before retiring. Maher, though, tried to convince him that's a terrible idea, pointing to the fact that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was his favorite Tarantino film yet.

"Your latest one is your peak," Maher said. "This is my favorite of all time. So what is this nonsense about you're only going to make one more movie? Come on. Bad idea. You're too young to quit, and you're at the top of your game!"

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Tarantino shot back that this is precisely why he wants to quit, explaining that looking at film history, "from here on in, directors do not get better." Maher wasn't buying it, appearing absolutely perplexed when Tarantino noted he has only one more film left.

"That's a terrible idea," Maher said. "First of all, you're judging yourself by other people. How do you f---ing know?"

While Tarantino said he doesn't necessarily have a counterargument that will convince his fans, he noted he's had a long career and has "given it everything I have." So what might Tarantino's last movie be? He hasn't announced it yet, though he revealed he's considered coming full circle by ending his career with a remake of his first movie, Reservoir Dogs.

"I won't do it, internet," he quickly added. "But I considered it."

Should Tarantino eventually come around and continue directing, though, perhaps Maher can take some credit for pulling him back in just when he thought he was out.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.