There’s a lot of buzz surrounding the new film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” from filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. And after yesterday’s world premiere, the hype has somehow increased. But that doesn’t mean the film isn’t without criticism, and during a press conference, the filmmaker was asked some critical questions, and he didn’t have the best responses.
Don’t worry, we’re not going to get into specific spoilers about the film, per Mr. Tarantino’s request. However, judging by the plot of the film, as seen in the trailers, you can infer some specifics that seem pretty obvious. And those specifics are what seem to be the most controversial aspect of ‘Once Upon a Time.’
When the filmmaker was asked about a scene that seemed to have a pointed “rage against women,” Tarantino wasn’t keen on that observation. In fact, he clarified his intent with the scene and said (via THR), “I didn’t see it as a rage against individuals, but a rage against a loss of innocence.”
The filmmaker didn’t want to go too deep and used his spoiler warning as a reason to avoid answering specifics about the, apparently, controversial scene.
However, he reportedly became visibly upset when another reporter asked him why Margot Robbie was given so much less to do in the film and was ultimately underused, in comparison to her male counterparts, especially given that she’s used as the third name in most of the marketing and ads so far.
“I reject your hypothesis,” the filmmaker said, in a way described as “curt.”
Robbie went on to defend her role and said, “I think the moments that I got onscreen gave an opportunity to honor Sharon and her lightness. I don’t think it was intended to delve deeper. As Brad [Pitt] mentioned, I think the tragedy was ultimately the loss of innocence and to show those wonderful sides of her could be done quickly without speaking, and I did feel like I had a lot of time to explore the character event without dialogue.”
Now, if you’ve been following the social media chatter about the film, or reading reviews, you are probably aware that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is clearly one of Tarantino’s best works, but ultimately, your feeling about the film will be cemented after the third act. So, it’s probably safe to assume that when spoilers will run rampant after its July 26 debut in theaters, we might see more of the aforementioned discussion. Should be interesting. Update: Watch the clip below.
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Quentin Tarantino snapped at a female reporter from The New York Times who asked why Margot Robbie wasn’t given more to say or do in his latest film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" https://t.co/xACQXjyBu8 pic.twitter.com/5GraEtaSyw
— Variety (@Variety) May 22, 2019