Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
About
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an American dramatic comedy written and directed Quentin Tarantino. The film is loosely based on the Manson Family Murders of 1969. The film stars Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino and more.
Online History
On July 11th, 2017, The Hollywood Reporter[1] reported that Tarantino was beginning work on a film about the Manson Family.
On March 18th, 2019, the first poster for the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released online. That day, Leonardo DiCaprio shared the poster on Twitter, adding the caption "Hollywood. 1969." The post received more than 53,000 retweets and 181,000 likes in 24 hours (shown below, left).[2]
The following day, star Margot Robbie posted a poster for the film. Within three days, the post received more than 14,000 retweets and 63,000 likes (shown below, right).[3]
On March 20th, 2019, Sony Pictures released the first trailer for the film. The post received more than 12 million views in two days (shown below).
Cannes Premiere
On May 22nd, 2019, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiered at the Cannes Film Fest. Following the premiered, director Quentin Tarantino and stars Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio participated in a press junket about the film, answering questions from journalists. During the junket, a female New York Times reporter asked Tarantino why he gave an actress of Robbie's caliber so few lines in the film. Tarantino responded, "I just reject your hypothesis."
Robbie went into greater detail about her experience with the character. She said, "I don’t think it was intended to delve deeper. I think the tragedy, ultimately, was the loss of innocence. To show those wonderful sides of her could ultimately be done without speaking. … I got a lot of time to explore the character even without speaking. Rarely do I get to spend so much time on my own as a character. That was actually an interesting thing for me to do as an actor."[6]
A tweet by the trade magazine Variety described his response as "snapped." They wrote, "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." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 915 retweets, 5,300 likes and 2.2 million views (shown below).
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
Many weighed in on the response. Film writer Kyle Buchanan tweeted,[7] "Tarantino is asked why a big star like Margot Robbie has so few lines in the movie: 'I just reject your hypotheses,' he replies curtly. To be fair… I don’t know if she has a single actual line in the first hour of the film?" Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 115 retweets and 1,200 likes (shown below, left).
Film writer John Squires disagreed with Variety's characterization of the director. He wrote,[8] "'Snapped'? He declined to answer a question he didn't agree with. Not saying Tarantino is entirely unproblematic but to come at him with the suggestion of intentionally giving limited screen time to women is quite unfair when you consider his filmography. Of course he scoffed." The tweet received more than 1,800 retweets and 8,700 likes in 24 hours (shown below, center).
Additionally, film writer, Dilara Elbir tweeted,[9] "It really isn't hard for Tarantino to say 'I understand your question and your concern and I'm glad you brought it up because it's important. Here is why I made that decision:' and say the things Margot said." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 130 retweets and 1,800 likes (shown below, right).
That day, Twitter[10] published a Moments page on the controversy.
Fandom
On March 13th, 2018, the official Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Twitter account launched. Within a year, the account has amassed more than 18,000 followers.[4] The following month, an official Facebook [5] page launched. As of March 2019, the account has more than 52,000 likes and followers.
Related Memes
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Poster Parodies
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Poster Parodies refers to a series of jokes and photoshop memes based on an advertisement for the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Leonardo DiCaprio Dancing
Leonardo DiCaprio Dancing refers to a series of GIFs and reactions to a moment from the trailer for the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
A new gif is born pic.twitter.com/dNLqz0mht5
—
holly_n (
holly_nistorica) March 20, 2019
Search Interest
External References
[1] The Hollywood Reporter – Quentin Tarantino Prepping New Movie Tackling Manson Murders
[2] Twitter – @LeoDiCaprio's Tweet
[3] Twitter – @MargotRobbie's Tweet
[4] Twitter – @OnceInHollywood
[5] Facebook – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
[6] LA Times – Quentin Tarantino gets testy at Cannes over question about women’s roles in his films
[7] Twitter – @kylebuchanan's Tweet
[8] Twitter – @FreddyInSpace's Tweet
[9] Twitter – @elbirdilara's Tweet
[10] Twitter – Quentin Tarantino’s response to a question about Margot Robbie divides opinion