Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt discuss all things “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood” in a new interview with Esquire.
The pair join the film’s director Quentin Tarantino for the interview with the magazine ahead of the film’s Cannes premiere on Tuesday, with DiCaprio talking all about working with Pitt.
He explains, “In a weird way, when we were doing the movie, my relationship with Brad clicked. It was very early on where he improvised a line and it changed everything.”
“In the scene, as it was written, I’m coming to set hungover. And I am basically getting my fate handed to me, discovering what my future is going to be in this industry. And I’m really down. And in the scene, Brad ad-libs; he just comes out with this line, he looks at me and says, ‘Hey, you’re Rick f**king Dalton. Don’t you forget that.’”
DiCaprio plays faded television actor Dalton in the film, with him and his stunt double (Cliff Booth, played by Pitt) striving to achieve fame and success during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969.
Pitt adds, “Doing this with Leo was really cool and a rare opportunity. Then there was just the whole thing, where we all grew up with the lore of the lead actor and his stuntman. That relationship and craft.”
“I mean, there are epic stories of these duos: Burt Reynolds had Hal Needham. Steve McQueen had Bud Ekins. Kurt Russell had his guy. Harrison Ford had his. These guys were partners for decades. And it’s something that is not the same in our generation, as the pieces became more movable.”
DiCaprio continues to say of the industry, “My attitude is the same as when I started. When I talk to these two guys [Pitt and Tarantino], it’s like, we know we were given that one shot and we do not want to disrespect that opportunity, which is why we’re just trying the damn best we can to make the best things we can.”
“Because we understand that it is fleeting. Tastes change; culture changes. And I feel very blessed to have gotten that ticket to be able to do movies. So I feel very connected to that 15-year-old kid who got his first movie. And that hasn’t changed.”