Casting 'Once Upon Time In Hollywood' (2019)

 

Just some random thoughts ...

I thought Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt were like Paul Newman and Robert Redford here, compelling in a way that seems effortless, eminently watchable, two bona fide superstars with a lot of experience under their belts, which aids their portrayals. On top of that, they exhibit real chemistry and possess a ton of charisma between them.

Al Pacino puts in a canny turn as a slick talent agent, the flipside to his aggressive real estate agent in 'Glengarry Glen Ross' (1992). I loved every minute and am glad Pacino finally got to work with Quentin Tarantino. Just wish Burt Reynolds had made it, to see two of my favourite actors getting it together.

Bruce Dern and Kurt Russell add a second layer of star power while returning to the fold; the screenplay plays with shifting paramaters and narrative construct, a hallmark of Tarantino's writing, just recently explored with both performers in the western 'The Hateful Eight' (2015).

At the drive-in, I'm rarely disappointed. I've highlighted films in brackets for each of these performers that Tarantino's been influenced by : Toni Basil ('Head' & 'Easy Rider'), Clu Gulager ('The Last Picture Show' & 'A Force Of One'), Martin Kove ('The Last House On The Left' & 'Death Race 2000'), James Remar ('The Warriors' & 'Cruising'), Brenda Vaccaro ('Death Weekend' & 'Heart Of Midnight').

I believe some of the casting choices reflect upon Quentin Tarantino's roots in independent cinema, which he's rarely, if ever, strayed from (I think all his movies have been modestly budgeted by Hollywood's current standard). Madisen Beaty has worked with Paul Thomas Anderson, Emile Hirsch with Gus Van Sant, Lorenza Izzo with Eli Roth, Timothy Olyphant with Doug Liman, Margaret Qualley with Gia Coppola, Samantha Robinson with Anna Biller, Austin Butler and bass player Harley Quinn Smith with Kevin Smith. The veteran Lew Temple has worked with Rob Zombie and Clifton Collins Jr. came up with the Hughes Brothers.

Rumer Willis is the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, Maya Hawke is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.

Danielle Harris is an indie horror icon and filmmaker herself, Kansas Bowling is also a filmmaker.

Familiar to Quentin Tarantino are stuntwomen Zoe Bell and Monica Staggs, Brazilian part-timer Perla Haney-Jardine and veteran tough guy Michael Madsen, electronica musician Omar Doom and animal wrangler David Steen. Friends present include improvisational comedienne Kate Berlant, controversial writer Lena Dunham, esteemed acting teacher Marco Rodriguez, and Israeli singer Daniella Pick who's now married to Tarantino.

Some keynote casting for me is character player Scoot McNairy as he was in James Cox's 'Wonderland' (2003), about the 1981 Wonderland Murders in Los Angeles, California, another high profile case.

Also Rebecca Gayheart, who was sentenced in her own high profile case which derailed her career.

Dakota Fanning, is she the most famous child star of the last 20 years? She's the person I'd name first, if asked, so her casting seems pertinent to one of the film's thematic devices, turning on damaged youth and inter-generational conflict.

The late Luke Perry, a major television star who never quite broke out at the movies, echoes another of the film's central themes.

I've not spotted everybody here, but I've only seen the film once so I'm going by the cast list on wikipedia, and I did spot a number of familiar faces. Now I have the movie on dvd, I look forward to my next viewing. I suspect some actors might only make fleeting appearances, but I'm glad it's for Tarantino, and glad it's in this movie.

I've read that the television series depicted in the film is being made real, the western 'Bounty Law'.

I feel like I've seen a lot of films either about the murders committed by members of Charles Manson's cult, or heavily alluding to the events of that night. Kate Bosworth is set to play Sharon Tate in Michael Polish' forthcoming biopic 'Tate' - she was also in 'Wonderland', and portrayed '60s icon Sandra Dee the following year, in 'Beyond The Sea' (2004).