Quentin Tarantino isn’t a Bruce Lee fan, says ‘Warrior’ star Jason Tobin – ‘he ching-chonged him’

Fast and Furious 9 star Tobin breaks silence on ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ debate as ESPN 30 for 30 ‘Be Water’ returns spotlight to Lee

‘If you’re really a Bruce Lee fan, you would’ve treated him differently I think, you would’ve been a bit more fair’

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Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth battles Mike Moh’s Bruce Lee in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Published: 10:00am, 9 Jun 2020Updated: 1:38am, 6 Nov 2022

As Bruce Lee returns to the spotlight, Warrior and Fast and Furious 9 star Jason Tobin has weighed in on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood debate, claiming director Quentin Tarantino simply “isn’t a fan” of the martial arts master.

As part of SCMP MMA’s look at how Bruce Lee’s impact has spread across the sporting world following the screening of ESPN’s 30 for 30 Be Water on Sunday, Hong Kong’s Tobin appeared on the Post Fight Podcast to discuss his icon.

“The bottom line is, Tarantino isn’t a Bruce Lee fan,” Tobin said. “He’s not. He’s a fan of Leo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt. You can tell, he created them with such love and care and nostalgia.

“He loves that era. Bruce Lee was a character in that era and he threw him in. But a Bruce Lee fan would not make Bruce Lee like that. He did what directors did back the 60s to Bruce Lee, but in 2019. They ‘ching chonged’ him.”

Tobin did not put the blame on actor Mike Moh, who portrayed Lee in the hit 2019 film, which earned Tarantino nominations for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay among other nods at this year’s Academy Awards.