The Making of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book looks back at discovering today’s new stars for the Manson family characters
RollingStone has whetted fans’ whistles with a preview of the new Making of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book, where it reflects on the amount of talent that catapulted from the Manson family character roles in Quentin Tarantino’s film. Author Jay Glennie, who both wrote the book and the RollingStone article, recalls the experience from actors like Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Margaret Qualley, Maya Hawke and Mikey Madison. Many of these actors went on to gain recognition and even receive Academy Award love in further projects after turning in performances in Tarantino’s love letter to the bygone era.
Austin Butler remembers doing a self-tape audition for his role as Tex for the film, “I was just so happy to learn that I was going to get to meet Quentin. I had longed for this day, as I said, since I was 12. I hadn’t let fear get in the way of recording my tape. I wanted that spirit, you know? Don’t overthink it — just go, just jump in the water. Stay as present as you possibly can, and don’t overthink it.” He had impressed Tarantino and casting director Vickie Thomas so much that they decided to work around his schedule as he was also in a theatre production at the time. “As soon as I finished the matinee on Sunday, I flew to Los Angeles,” Butler recalls. “I wanted to spend the night in my home there. I was still completely in the dark as to what role I was auditioning for — literally, no idea. I still thought it was for a cowboy. In a way, it was a blessing for my mental health, right, because I did not have the option to overthink. On the plane, I had nothing to prepare, so it allowed me to just be, to just be on the plane, to eat, to actually taste the food I was eating, to have a conversation with the people on the plane, and to not be thinking ahead. Just be present. I did not have anything to read, no script, no side. So I ate and then slept like a baby.”
Tarantino arranged a workshop for his Manson family actors and Maya Hawke, although knowing him through his relationship with her mom, Uma Thurman, remembers “being so scared because I guess I knew that Quentin was going to be there, and I have known him my whole life. But, of course, in the room that day, he was very different, you know? He wasn’t, like, kooky Uncle Quentin — he was in serious mode.”
Sydney Sweeney, who can be seen headlining the movie, Christy, recalled, “It all felt surreal. Sometimes I still look back on it and it feels like a dream that I’m trying to remember. That audition day will forever be one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had.”
For the full preview of the book excerpt, head on over to RollingStone for the extended accounts of their experiences.
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