Margot Robbie is playing Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s next film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The Wolf of Wall Street and Suicide Squad star has been circling the project since last summer, back when it was thought to be a movie specifically about Charlie Manson’s murder spree in 1969. It has since emerged that Tarantino’s script explores the state of things in Hollywood and Los Angeles circa 1969, with the Manson murders serving as the backdrop for a story about a former western TV show star and his longtime stunt double.

Leonardo DiCaprio is playing said faded TV star, Rick Dalton, opposite Brad Pitt as his stunt double, Cliff Booth. That makes Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a reunion for Robbie and her Wolf of Wall Street costar DiCaprio, as well as a reunion for Tarantino and both Pitt and DiCaprio (who previously starred in the director’s Inglourius Basterds and Django Unchained, respectively). Now that her deal for the film is done, Robbie has spoken openly about the project and revealed what attracted her to it in the first place.

Robbie confirmed her involvement in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Indiewire during an interview to promote her new film, Terminal. She further described herself as a “huge” Tarantino fan and said that more than anything, she’s looking forward to seeing what his filmmaking process is like:

“Beyond anything, I’ve just always wanted to see him work. And I want to see how he runs a set, and how he directs people, and what the vibe is onset, and what’s in the script, and then what happens on the day. I’m just fascinated by all of it, fascinated. So it’s going to be a crazy experience to witness it firsthand. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing.”


Sharon Tate plays a relatively small part in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but Robbie told Indiewire that she’s more than happy to take a break from being the headliner on a film. She also emphasized that she’s taking the job of playing the real-life character as seriously as she does every other role:

“I feel a responsibility with every character I play, whether they’re fictional or real life. To play her right, play her truthfully, and kind of understand her emotional journey.”

Robbie is no stranger to playing real world people, having previously done it to much critical acclaim in Wolf of Wall Street, Goodbye Christopher Robin, and I, Tonya (which snagged her a Best Actress Oscar nod). She has also worked with high-profile directors on Tarantino’s level in the past, most notably Martin Scorsese on Wolf of Wall Street. Robbie has started becoming more and more involved as a producer on her films too, which is part of why she’s so excited about getting to watch Tarantino work on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Tarantino’s new film has further assembled an impressive cast of veteran actors around its leads, with Burt Reynolds and several frequent Tarantino movie actors (Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Michael Madsen) now onboard. The movie has been likened to Pulp Fiction in its structure and will probably wind up being as celebrated yet controversial as most every Tarantino film before it, given its subject matter. All the same, the director’s projects usually make for engaging conversation topics and it should be interesting to see what Tarantino has to say about modern Hollywood with his period film.


KEY RELEASE DATES
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood release date: Aug 9, 2019