“We really got to immerse ourselves in that time period” - Exclusive images of Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
New look at Quentin Tarantino’s 1969-set epic
![Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hJ96WHbCjNsm9djd5fFTU4-320-80.jpg)
Quentin Tarantino’s ninth (and possibly penultimate) film, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is nearly upon us, and it’s one of his most personal movies yet. Set in 1969 Los Angeles, it sees Tarantino revisiting a time he vividly remembers from his youth.
The film follows actor on the wane Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double/assistant Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Rick’s gearing up to head to Italy to star in a spaghetti western, but he has a pilot to shoot first. On the periphery of the story are Charles Manson and his acolytes, and tragic star Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robbie).
Playing out on an epic canvas, the film also features Tarantino trademarks like jet-black humour, killer dialogue and an eclectic soundtrack. You can take an exclusive look at some new images from Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, courtesy of our sister publication Total Film magazine. There’s a new look at DiCaprio’s Dalton on set of a western, as well as Dalton and Booth looking insanely cool behind the wheel of their cars. Check them out below now:
Inside the new issue, Total Film gets full, unbeatable access to Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, joining Tarantino and his cast on set, at a photo shoot and at the Cannes Film Festival. The inspiration for Rick and Cliff came from real life, says Tarantino. “I’ve met a couple of actors that have had their own stunt guys for, like, 10 or 15 years,” he says, “and it’s an interesting dynamic that they have.”
Tarantino’s own memories of the place and time in which the film is set fed into the extremely detailed production design. “What was fascinating to me about this movie was the way we really got, as actors, to immerse ourselves in that time period,” DiCaprio tells Total Film. “I mean, it was visceral for us and it was tangible. It was tactile because Quentin doesn’t really like to do much CGI work – if any. Actually I’ll correct myself: none.”
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood opens in the US on July 26 and in the UK on August 14, and you can read much more about it in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which is on sale this Friday. As well as that enormous access-all-areas feature, the issue comes with a special supplement celebrating Tarantino’s career, and a double-sided art card featuring in-world posters from Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The supplement features a brand new interview with Quentin Tarantino, and also revisits all of his films to date.
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I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.
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