A wide-ranging 3-part interview on The Root with Quentin Tarantino conducted by its editor, the Harvard Prof and cultural critic Henry Louis Gates Jr. , offers the public a chance to hear Tarantino's thinking about slavery, race, use of the N-word and the making of his latest film, 'Django Unchained.'  Prominent figures including Spike Lee have attacked Tarantino in recent days for being disrespectful and exploitative of America's racial past and present in 'Django.' The following are excerpts of some his most interesting remarks:

On working with Jamie Foxx to build the character of the hero, Django:

 

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: I watched Jamie Foxx recently on Leno. He said that he was playing Django with too much self-confidence and bravado at a time when Django had not evolved, and that you sat everyone down and said we have to go back in a time machine and be slaves and imagine what that's like. And he said it was a profound moment for him. Were there any awkward moments with the cast about what you were doing? Did they ever say, "This is too much"?