Jay Glennie, an author known for his deep dive books into renowned films such as Raging Bull, Trainspotting, and The Deer Hunter, has been tapped to write a series of books on all of Quentin Tarantino's movies. First up is The Making of Once Upon a Time …in Hollywood, coming out in November.
The 400-page coffee table book will include interviews with over a hundred crew and cast members, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Mikey Madison, Margaret Qualley, Lena Dunham, Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, and Sydney Sweeney.
In his interview, Leonardo DiCaprio told Glennie how he was able to channel the character of down-and-out actor Rick Dalton:
I have twenty-five friends that I've known for thirty years, and half of them are actors you know and great actors. So I had this unbelievable connection with Rick because I know that story so well.
They are amazing actors that have so much to give and so much to offer creatively and you know some of them have been in the right place at the right time and some of them haven't. It does have a lot to do with luck and being prepared at the right time. So, I know these guys you know I've grown up with them. They have so much talent and almost came close to this one particular role that would've gotten them to that other level.
And Brad Pitt, who played blacklisted stuntman Cliff Booth, shared a happy coincidence with Glennie about the origin of his character:
Brad called again, "Q could I come over to the house, you know shoot the shit and chat over a few things?"
"No problem, get your ass over dude!"
Fixing some drinks, they settled down and before Quentin can play the movie he had racked up, Brad had an idea he wanted to run by his director.
"Okay, I had guy and I think he is a kinda jumping off point as to who Cliff could be."
"Okay, who do you have, Brad?"
Pitt pulled out a DVD of Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack.
"Brad, I have a 35 mm print of Billy Jack threaded up in the projector ready to show you tonight," replied a stunned Quentin.He and Pitt were completely wired into the same mains. They were on the same page.
They settled down to watch Billy Jack.
"I had absolutely no idea, Quentin was thinking of Billy Jack and there I am standing with it in my hand on DVD," recalled a shocked Brad.
In addition to the interviews, the book will include an introduction by Tarantino, hundreds of photographs, production memos and letters, concept art, costume and production design sketches, and film ephemera.
Previously:
• Watch the scene from the Lancer pilot that inspired Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• Here's a 30-minute documentary about the making of Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
• Guardian review of Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novelization: 'entirely outrageous and addictively readable'
• Quentin Tarantino talks about the sounds in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
• If you enjoyed the radio shows on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, here are two hours of Boss Radio from 1968
