This Margot Robbie Scene in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Came Straight From Tarantino’s Life
Get a glimpse into his process as a writer and director.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
If you've ever wondered how Quentin Tarantino manages to make even throwaway moments in his films feel so lived-in and specific, the answer might be simple.
He just pulls from his own life.
An anecdote from The Making of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—a massive 500-page behind-the-scenes book by journalist Jay Glennie that just released—reveals how one scene came directly from Tarantino's experience as a young screenwriter.
In the movie, Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate goes to see herself in The Wrecking Crew at the Bruin Theater in Westwood. She tells the theater employee it's her in the movie, and gets in for free.
Turns out, that scene exists because Tarantino lived it himself.
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The Inspiration for the Scene
According to the book, Robbie was initially a little confused by the scene. Tate had money, after all. Why would she ask the employee if she could get in for free, just because she was in the movie?
"Is it going to seem cheap of her if she doesn't want to pay to see the movie?" she asked.
"No, no, it is not about the money, Margot," Tarantino told her. "It is because she was in [the] movie, you know? I have done it. In fact, I did it here at the Bruin, no less."
"You didn't pay to see one of your own movies?"
"Yeah! It was True Romance."
The moment clearly stuck with him for decades. When he finally had the chance to put it on screen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he knew exactly what emotional beats to hit because he'd experienced them firsthand.
Writing What You Know, Literally
Tarantino didn't imagine what it might be like for an actress to get into her own movie for free. He remembered what it felt like when he did essentially the same thing as a young writer, seeing his name on screen.
He told Robbie:
"Yeah, I was on a date, and True Romance was playing, and I thought, 'Well, I did write it. Maybe they'll let us in for free!' So we're at the ticketing counter, and I am not stressing the money. It's because my name was on the movie. You know, I was a little proud, all right? So, we told them who I was and that I had written the movie, and, you know, do I get a little consideration? The manager starts to question if I am who I say I am. My date tells him I can show him my driving license."
It was only after Tarantino signed a few autographs to passing fans that the theater employees believed him and let him in for free.
Tarantino told Robbie, "So it is not the seventy-five cents Sharon is bothered about—it is because she is in the movie, okay?"
That kind of autobiographical detail gives scenes a weight that purely imagined moments sometimes lack.
The Takeaway for Your Writing
Your life contains moments of genuine emotion, awkwardness, joy, and strangeness that you can pluck from your memory and put directly into your work. Sometimes the most resonant material is sitting in your past, waiting to be used.
Think about the small victories you've experienced in your career. The first time you saw your name in the credits. The moment you realized someone actually watched something you made. Those feelings are universal enough to connect with audiences, but small and specific enough to feel authentic.
Tarantino has built a career on transforming personal obsessions and memories into cinema. Why not do the same?
About the Book
Glennie's book is the first in what will become the Quentin Tarantino Library, a series covering all 10 of the director's films.
Glennie spent hundreds of hours with Tarantino and the cast, conducting interviews with everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt to crew members like cinematographer Bob Richardson and production designer Barbara Ling.
The project is 170,000 words and incorporates behind-the-scenes photos, production memos, call sheets, casting documents, concept art, costume sketches, and more. It takes readers through the film's production and the story sequentially, and provides a wealth of information for filmmakers wanting a behind-the-scenes look into Tarantino's process.
The book is out today.
