‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’: Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, More Join Quentin Tarantino’s Manson-Era Sony Drama
Quentin Tarantino has added seven actors to the supporting cast of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” A source close to the production confirmed that Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, Dakota Fanning, and Clifton Collins Jr. are among those who will join Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Burt Reynolds, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Timothy Olyphant in the Sony drama, set in 1969.
DiCaprio will play Rick Dalton, an unfulfilled television actor, with Pitt’s character as his stand-in and Sharon Tate (Robbie) as his next-door neighbor. Tate was murdered by members of Charles Manson’s cult when he was eight months pregnant with husband Roman Polanski’s child.
Lewis will portray one of that era’s greatest heartthrobs, Steve McQueen, while Fanning steps into the role of Manson acolyte Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, who received a life sentence after making a 1975 assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford. The role of celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring — one of Tate’s three friends who lost their life alongside her — goes to Emile Hirsch. Meanwhile, Nicholas Hammond, who as a child played Friedrich in the Oscar-winning film “The Sound of Music,” will play actor-turned-director Sam Wanamaker.
Less is known about three more parts, who may or may not be based on real individuals: Ernesto The Mexican Vaquero (Collins Jr.), Land Pirate Keith (Keith Jefferson), and Scotty Lancer (Luke Perry). Scotty Lancer was one of the half-brothers at the center of “Lancer” — a CBS Western that aired from 1968 to 1970 — leading to speculation that DiCaprio and Pitt’s alter egos also work on that series.
Sony will release “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on August 9, 2019.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
