Quentin Tarantino considers himself to be one of the luckiest directors in Hollywood history, because he was able to cast Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt – arguably the Paul Newman and Robert Redford of this generation of movie stars – in the same film. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood starred DiCaprio and Pitt in their first collaboration as fading TV star Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth.
And they were just the tip of the iceberg in a phenomenal ensemble cast that also included Margot Robbie as the late Sharon Tate and Al Pacino as Tarantino’s Hollywood insider mouthpiece. So, here is every major performance in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, ranked.
Kurt Russell As Randy Miller (And The Narrator)
In what is possibly a sly homage to his role as the murderous, misogynistic Stuntman Mike in Tarantino’s Death Proof, Kurt Russell plays a stunt coordinator named Randy who is unsure about hiring Cliff and later faces scorn from his wife for taking a chance on him.
Russell nailed every line as Randy – “I don’t dig him, and I don’t dig the vibe he brings to a set” – and played his outbursts as delightfully comical. He also provided the voiceover narration, which was clear, concise and delivered with the perfect intonation.
Mike Moh As Bruce Lee
The portrayal of Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has been highly controversial because he comes off as an egocentric jerk who bragged about his fighting abilities. You have to just take this as the Tarantino-verse version of Bruce Lee.
This isn’t a historically accurate depiction; this is the Lee who exists in a world almost entirely desensitized to violence, where Jewish people killed Hitler and the Manson murders were prevented by a stuntman having a bad trip. And in that context, Mike Moh’s performance is brilliantly subversive.
Al Pacino As Marvin Schwarz
Marvin Schwarz was less of a character and more of an exposition machine. In the opening bar scene, he tells the audience about Rick’s career and where it’s heading from a business point of view. Later in the film, after Rick’s episode of The F.B.I. airs, he hooks up Rick with Sergio Corbucci to shoot some movies in Italy.
This character didn’t provide Al Pacino with the tools to craft one of his all-time greatest performances, like Michael Corleone or Sonny Wortzik, but it gave him enough to deliver a memorable comic performance.
Bruce Dern As George Spahn
George Spahn was set to be played by Burt Reynolds, but when Reynolds sadly passed away during pre-production, he was hastily replaced by regular Tarantino collaborator Bruce Dern who, as usual, did a fantastic job.
At the culmination of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s most suspenseful sequence, we get a subversive anticlimactic moment in which Spahn is seen fast asleep, and the hippies are revealed to have been telling the truth. In his subsequent conversation with Cliff, Dern plays the bitterness of Tarantino’s cranky portrait of Spahn hilariously: “I’m blind! How the f*** do I know what color her hair is!?”
Margaret Qualley As Pussycat
Not a lot of the Manson Family’s members jump out of the screen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. They exist more like a collective entity, blending into one another.
An exception is Margaret Qualley, who does stand out in the role of Pussycat, the free-wheeling hippie who offers to perform a sex act on Cliff for money and, several minutes later, calls him “blind” for not subscribing to her curious way of life.
Julia Butters As Trudi Fraser
Julia Butters was revelatory in the role of Trudi Fraser, a bright child actor (and she says “actor,” not “actress,” because the word “actress” is nonsensical). Trudi needed to come off as more professional, intellectual, and talented than Rick Dalton, and thanks to Butters’ performance, she did. The irony is that Butters’ convincing portrayal of a character as prodigious as Trudi is evidence that Butters herself is quite the prodigy.
Her comic timing is spot-on (“I don’t like names like ‘Pumpkin Puss,’ but since you’re upset, we’ll talk about it some other time”), and in just two scenes, she creates one of this highly populated movie’s most memorable supporting characters.
Margot Robbie As Sharon Tate
Margot Robbie was given a lot less to work with than her co-stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, but she still managed to deliver an unforgettable performance as the late, great Sharon Tate. In part, this movie is a tribute to Tate, as it imagines a world where she was spared from the Manson Family’s wrath and got to continue her burgeoning career as a movie star.
Robbie’s subdued performance and non-verbal communication go hand-in-hand with the film’s intention to depict Tate as a sort of angelic figure, returning to Earth from beyond the grave.
Brad Pitt As Cliff Booth
Even up against performances by Joe Pesci and Al Pacino in a Scorsese movie, Brad Pitt was a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actor. In stark contrast with Rick Dalton’s insecurities and obsessive nature, Cliff Booth sits back, puts his feet up, and lets life wash over him.
Pitt was the perfect actor to bring the character to life. Only someone as cool as Pitt could have pulled off this character. With Pitt at the helm, it’s really believable that Cliff is as laidback as he is during life-threatening situations.
Leonardo DiCaprio As Rick Dalton
As much as Pitt earned his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as Cliff, it was Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton who displayed the widest range of emotions in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. As a character, Rick is a paradox. He’s an actor who pretends to be tough on camera and is an insecure mess in real life.
DiCaprio set the movie’s tonal tightrope walk between comedy and tragedy with meltdowns that were simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking. He also performed Rick’s acting roles as Rick would perform them, not how he would perform them, which is next-tier acting.