Quentin Tarantino Kept a ‘F***ed Up Love Letter’ That Sydney Sweeney Wrote
Quentin Tarantino is undoubtedly one of the most well-known filmmakers of the age. His movies have received commercial and critical acclaim and have garnered a cult following. His films all feature a distinct style and his creative process is pretty unique. Even the way he casts his films tends to be more on the unorthodox side, especially when compared to his peers.
The way Tarantino cast his latest film, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, was an interesting process. Naturally, the A-list actors like Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t have a rigorous audition process before securing their roles in the film. However, lesser-known actors, like Sydney Sweeney, jumped through lots of hoops for their spot in the movie.
Sydney Sweeney described her audition process for ‘Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood’
In an interview with tmrw, Sweeney described her audition process for Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. According to the Euphoria star, she didn’t try out for just one particular role. Instead, Tarantino considered every actor for the open roles he was looking to cast. Furthermore, he gave the hopeful actors the opportunity to express their passion for the role in various artistic ways.
“Basically you could write a song, or paint something as well, because at this stage Tarantino had everyone auditioning for the same role and then he would place you in whatever role he saw fit,” Sweeney recalled. “So I thought as I was having to audition for this one character, I’d do something ‘extra credit’ for another.”
The ‘Euphoria’ star wrote a crazy love letter from her character that Quentin Tarantino kept
Sweeney’s extra credit came in the form of a letter, which she wrote from her character’s mindset. The Handmaid’s Tale alum managed to impress the director so much that he ended up keeping it for himself.
“I chose a different character that I liked, I wrote a letter from them to [Charles] Manson and I read the letter as if I was reading it to him,” Sweeney remembered. “It was like a f***ed up love letter, from a Manson girl’s mind. [Tarantino] asked to keep it and it was the only copy, I realize now I should’ve made a copy!”
Of course, Sweeney’s letter wasn’t the only thing that helped land her a spot in the movie. She managed to show off her skills in a group of actors who were also vying for roles. According to the actor, Tarantino was giving validation to every actor and she left feeling extremely satisfied with her audition experience.
Sweeney says Tarantino was incredibly supportive while casting his latest movie
“Quentin had this amazing session with a few actors,” Sweeney shared of Tarantino while speaking to Coveteur. “They brought us to his office for a six-hour workshop with him. It was a chemistry read—he would work with us and then switch us off, and we all had lunch together. I left that room feeling totally OK if I didn’t get it because of that experience. The things he said were so kind and supportive, and I was like, Yes, I love this industry.”
Considering Tarantino has shared that he will retire after making his next movie, we’re sure Sweeney was thrilled to have a chance to work with him. And while his audition methods may be unusual, he clearly is doing something right with the casts he creates.
