A behind-the-scenes clash between Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino on the set of Once upon a time in Hollywood was revealed, and it seems like it was just about time.
The story comes courtesy of Bruce Dern, 89, who played elderly rancher George Spahn in the 2019 film and was present when the confrontation unfolded.
Dern said PEOPLE that the incident occurred during the scene in which Pitt’s character Cliff Booth visits the ranch to check on George, a moment which featured one of Dern’s signature improvised dialogue, which he cheerfully calls a “Dernsie”.
In the middle of the scene, while Dern was doing his thing, Pitt did something no actor is supposed to do on a Tarantino set.
He called cut.
“I look at him. [Pitt] “I cut the camera,” Dern recalls. “The look on Quentin’s face, I mean, it was incredibly serious, and he said, ‘Brad, what did you just do?'”
Tarantino’s response was unambiguous.
“He said, ‘Well, I turned off the camera.’ He said: “Never again in your life will you turn off a camera or you will be dead in this business.” This is my domain. Don’t stop your behavior.'”
Pitt’s defense, Dern revealed, was simple, even if it wasn’t exactly well-received: “All Brad did was say to him, ‘Well, what he said wasn’t in the script.'”
The implication being that Dern’s improvisation had knocked him off his feet, which, given that a “Dernsie” can apparently happen at any time, is perhaps understandable, even forgivable in Tarantino’s eyes.
Filming resumed and Dern delivered a new, forever improvised line: “I don’t know who you are, but you touched me today. You came to visit me, now I have to go back to sleep.”
Pitt went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role.
Despite the friction on set, the relationship between director and star has clearly survived.
A source told Daily Mail that Tarantino is among Pitt’s favorite directors and that the two share a strong relationship. Representatives for both have been contacted for comment.
