‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’: Quentin Tarantino Once Shared Brad Pitt Didn’t Like Being Called ‘Pretty’ by His Co-Star
Many have always seen Brad Pitt as one of Hollywood’s most handsome actors. The star’s acting abilities, coupled with his good looks, have taken him far in the entertainment industry. But still, Quentin Tarantino revealed Pitt didn’t want his good looks to be focused on in movies. Which made shooting this scene in Once Upon a Time… a bit difficult for the Oscar-winner.
Brad Pitt was very shy when it came to doing this scene in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
Brad Pitt is no stranger to showing his fans some eye candy in movies. There have been a couple of movies where the Fight Club actor doesn’t even mind going shirtless for scenes. However, Tarantino felt doing these kinds of scenes.
“It was funny because actually in public Brad is kind of shy about things like that,” Tarantino said on the 3 Girls, 1 Keith podcast. “At the same time, he knows exactly what time it is. I go, ‘So, I’m thinking maybe you unbutton the Hawaiian shirt, and you peel that off, and then peel off the Champion T-shirt.’”
But although Pitt was shy about these kinds of scenes, his experience meant he knew more about them than Tarantino.
“He was like, ‘Really? You want me to go through all that button bulls***?’” Tarantino recalled. “’I’ll just take it off in one go!’”
Tarantino learned that when it came down to Pitt showing off his body, let his star do things his way.
“I’m like, okay, this guy knows exactly what time it is. Shut the f*** up and let the master do his job! Even when you see him in the work shed and the way he puts on the leather gloves and puts the wire in his mouth all butch and macho. He just knows what time it is,” he added.
The one line of dialogue Brad Pitt couldn’t stand hearing
The shirtless scene wasn’t the only take Pitt was shy about doing in the movie. As some know, Pitt’s Cliff Booth eventually engages in an altercation with Mike Moh’s Bruce Lee. During their confrontation, Moh brings up Pitt’s good looks.
“You’re kinda pretty for a stunt guy,” the actor said.
In an interview with Beverly Cinema, Tarantino revealed that Pitt didn’t particularly care for this scene. Not only that, but the line wasn’t even in the original script.
“Ok, I gotta tell you, that was a suggestion,” Tarantino revealed. ”I did not come up with that. Burt Reynolds read the script, and he knows a lot of stunt guys. And Burt said, ‘So Brad Pitt is playing a stunt guy?’ And I said, ‘Yeah.’ And Burt says, ‘You gotta have somebody say, ‘You’re kina pretty for a stunt guy.’”
Tarantino revealed Pitt was against the line being added in. But Pitt only shot the scene because of Reynolds.
“And the thing is, Brad doesn’t like making his looks a thing in a movie, but he couldn’t say no to that because it was Burt Reynolds’ line,” Tarantino continued. “And watching Brad grin and bear it is really great. Because he doesn’t really dig it. But the fact that Burt Reynolds came up with it – he can’t say s***!”
Leonardo DiCaprio wanted to play Brad Pitt’s character
Quentin Tarantino revealed Brad Pitt wasn’t the only actor who wanted to be stuntman Cliff Booth. Leonardo DiCaprio, Pitt’s co-star, would’ve wanted to play the character as awell.
“Everyone wanted to play Cliff,” Tarantino revealed to Entertainment Weekly. “Everyone wanted to play Cliff. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Leo as an actor [because], he wanted to play Cliff, but he knew he was better for Rick.”
