Empire Salutes Tarantino

Originally Published: March 15, 2005

The director of the Kill Bill films, Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino, was named film icon of the decade at the Empire Awards gala event.

Over 12,000 readers of of the London-based magazine cast votes for the awards.

“The fact that England has embraced me as one of its own is really cool,” said Tarantino, as he accepted the on award Sunday. “I hope to give you at least 15 more years of movies, I’m not going to be this old guy that keeps cranking them out.”

“My plan is to have a theater by that time in some small town and I will be the manager; this crazy old movie guy,” the 41-year-old director said.” I’ve made enough money that nobody even needs to show up at the theater. It’s just having something to do.”

Matt Damon won best actor for his role in The Bourne Supremacy, which was also named best film of the year. Julie Delpy won the best actress award for Before Sunset, which co-starred Ethan Hawke.

Kate Winslet’s performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won her the best British actress award. The best British actor award went to Paddy Considine for his role in Dead Man’s Shoes, a thriller about two brothers that return to their home town for revenge on a gang of drug dealing thugs.

Claudia Schiffer accepted the best British director award on behalf of her husband, Matthew Vaughn, the directed of the film Layer Cake, an action thriller revolving around a successful cocaine dealer planning an early retirement that’s lured back into the game by a love interest and an international drug ring.

Read more on the whole awards gala RIGHT HERE »