One of the most exciting films of 2019 was Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Tarantino’s films always draw a lot of attention but this particular story, set in 1960’s Hollywood and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt was especially enticing.
The film proved to be a big hit at the box office as well as a critical success, being named by many as one of the best movies of the year and even getting nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. The movie is a wonderful look at Hollywood at the time and the making of the film makes for an interesting Hollywood story as well. Here are some things you might not have known about the making of Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.
The Script
Tarantino is known for taking his time with his film scripts, working on ideas for years, even decades. While this particular script was not his longest development, it did still have an interesting path to getting made.
Initially, Tarantino envisioned the story about a Hollywood actor and his stuntman as a novel. However, as the story continued to expand, he realized it was more suitable for a film. Still, not wanting any leaks like his previous film The Hateful Eight, Tarantino would leave the ending out of the script when showing it to some people.
A Memory Piece
Tarantino has called this script his most personal yet and refers to it as a “memory piece”. He grew up in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time in the areas that are shown in the film. He also talked about the strong memories he had of driving around Hollywood with his stepfather and wanting to recreate that feeling in the movie.
Tarantino also snuck in a fun personal nod late in the film. When Sharon Tate makes mention of the premiere happening at a nearby porno theater, the theater in question is Eros Theater which was later changed into a theater called the New Beverley which is owned by Tarantino.
Improvisation
Given his stylized and specific dialogue, Tarantino is known for insisting his actors sticking precisely to what’s written in the script. However, this film features two notable moments of improvisation from its two leads, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.
DiCaprio improvised his meltdown scene in the trailer after Rick Dalton flubs his lines while shooting his episode of Lancer. Pitt improvised one of the film’s most memorable lines in which Cliff Booth tells Rick “You’re Rick f**king Dalton. Don’t you forget that.” Pitt was inspired by someone saying the same thing to him early in his career.
Portrayal Of Sharon Tate
The inclusion of Sharon Tate in this story was an aspect of intrigue and controversy for many. Tate was one of the victims of the infamous Manson Family murders in 1969 which plays into this story.
As Tate is largely known as the victim of this terrible crime, Tarantino wanted to show her in as someone who is excitedly enjoying her newfound success in Hollywood. Some have criticized the lack of substance given to the character, but Tarantino and Margot Robbie have both said that she is meant to have an angelic presence, acting as the heartbeat of the film.
Debra Tate
As can be expected, those who knew Sharon Tate were uneasy about the idea of this film, in particular, Sharon’s sister Debra Tate admitted she was initially very skeptical of the film. However, after talking to Tarantino about the story and Sharon’s involvement, she gave her blessing.
One of the aspects of the film that impressed Debra so much was Margot Robbie who would be playing her sister. Debra found Robbie to be an inspiring and respectful professional and even gave her some of Sharon’s jewelry which Robbie wears in the film.
Burt Reynolds
Another iconic actor who was meant to join the all-star cast of this film was Burt Reynolds who was originally cast as George Spahn. Unfortunately, Reynolds passed away before filming his scenes, however, Tarantino proudly acknowledges that Reynolds was present at the first table read, making it his last performance.
Reynolds’ iconic career remains ingrained in the story of this film in several ways. Many have acknowledged the relationship with Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth mirrors that of Reynolds and his stuntman Hal Needham. Also, the episode of F.B.I. Rick stars in is actually a real episode in which Reynolds plays the role Rick is shown in.
Recreating Hollywood Boulevard
This proved to be one of Tarantino’s most expensive films with a reported budget close to $100 million. Part of the reason it was so costly was because of Tarantino’s meticulous recreation of Hollywood at the time.
Certainly, the most extensive recreation was with the Hollywood Boulevard sequences. Watching Cliff Booth drive down the famous strip of road with all the signs and looks of the time was not easy to pull off. The vendors currently on the strip were reluctant to apply the classic look but once filming was complete, many asked to keep the throwback look.
The Real Sharon Tate
One of the most enjoyable sequences in the film feature Margot Robbie’s Sharon Tate visiting a movie theater that is showing one of her films, Wrecking Crew. Watching the joy Sharon experiences from hearing audiences laugh and cheer along with her performance is just wonderful.
Interestingly, unlike the technique where Leonardo DiCaprio was inserted into old episodes of F.B.I. or a scene in The Great Escape, we are actually seeing the real Sharon Tate playing on the big screen rather than Margot Robbie. It’s another sweet homage to the actor.
Mike Moh As Bruce Lee
One of the most controversial aspects of the film does not involve Sharon Tate at all, but rather the depiction of Bruce Lee. We see Cliff Booth get into an altercation with Lee while on the set of the television show Green Hornet.
Lee is portrayed in the film by Mike Moh who has his own interesting Hollywood story related to the film. Moh had been having a difficult time moving his acting career forward and left Hollywood to teach at a dojo when he got the call to join this project. According to Tarantino, Moh didn’t even know who else was in the film when he showed up for the table read.
Bounty Law
Tarantino has admitted that one of the most enjoyable aspects of making this film was coming up with the various shows and movies Rick Dalton would have starred in. One of the most prominent shows was a black-and-white Western called Bounty Law which we see several clips of.
Tarantino has said that one of the things he is most proud of was his recreation of the look of television Westerns of the time when filming the Bounty Law sequences. He also has said that he wrote several full-length episodes of the show in preparation and plans to direct them all as a limited series someday.
