When Quentin Tarantino’s response turned heads at Cannes over Margot Robbie’s role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino's most recent film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2019. The next day, the film's director and leading actors—Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio—attended a press conference to promote their movie. They were joined by the film's producers, Shannon McIntosh and David Heyman, on the panel.

The press conference, lasting 30 minutes, ended with the New York Times reporter Farah Nayeri asking Quentin Tarantino why he chose to give Robbie's character fewer lines in the movie, despite her impressive acting record.

The famed director seemed visibly annoyed by the question and answered briefly:

“Well, I just reject your hypothesis.”

Although Quentin Tarantino did not offer any further explanation, Margot Robbie chimed in on the conversation. Robbie, who played Sharon Tate in the film, explained that she was able to represent and "honor Sharon" with limited dialogue.

"I always look to the character and what the character is supposed to serve to the story. I think the moments I got on screen gave an opportunity to honor Sharon."

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Exploring Margot Robbie's role in the Quentin Tarantino film

At the Cannes press conference, Margot Robbie further shared that she had plenty of time to prepare herself to play Sharon Tate:

"I think the tragedy ultimately was the loss of innocence. To show those wonderful sides of her could be adequately done without speaking. I did feel like I got a lot of time to explore the character without dialogue, which is an interesting thing."

For the unversed, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set in Los Angeles in 1969, and focuses on two parallel storylines that converge in the film's climax. Alongside Brad Pitt, DiCaprio, and Robbie, the film boasts an ensemble cast comprising Timothy Olyphant, Emile Hirsch, Al Pacino, Dakota Fanning, Margaret Qualley, Mikey Madison, Austin Butler, Luke Perry, Lena Dunham, Damian Lewis, Kurt Russell, and many others.

The central plot focuses on the friendship between two fictional characters—the struggling television actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth. Meanwhile, the sub-plot centers around the real-life actress Sharon Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski, of Rosemary's Baby fame.

According to The Washington Post report dated November 20, 2017, Tate was killed by the followers of the cult leader Charles Manson, on August 9, 1969, while she was pregnant with her first child.

In the film, Sharon's story arc is semi-fictional and deviates from the actual events of her death by offering a more positive, alternate ending to her story. She is depicted as Dalton's much more successful next-door neighbor who is not attacked by the Manson Family cult.

As per the film's plot, Manson and his group decide last-minute to attack Dalton's house instead. They face off against Booth and Dalton and are killed in the ensuing fight. Upon hearing about the attack next door, Sharon invites Dalton over for a drink. Thus, hinting that his newly-formed connections to the high-profile Hollywood couple helps revive Dalton's flailing acting career.

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Once Upon a Time in Hollywood marks Quentin Tarantino's latest film project

In addition to directing, Quentin Tarantino also wrote and produced Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It was released in theaters on July 26, 2019, and was met with a positive response from critics and audiences alike. Moreover, The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as "Tarantino's love letter to '60s L.A."

Furthermore, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio shared screen space for the first time in the film. During the press conference at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, DiCaprio, who played the fading star Rick Dalton, said he "identified with this character in many ways." Meanwhile, Brad Pitt called working with the Oscar-winning actor "great fun" as they got to bond over "similar experiences."

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned $392.1 million at the box office against a budget of $90 million, as per Box Office Mojo. The movie also bagged eight Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. Furthermore, Brad Pitt won his first-ever Oscar in the 'Best Supporting Actor' category for his portrayal of Cliff Booth in the movie.

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