Three-time Golden Globe winner and four-time nominee Brad Pitt received the award for Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his work on the tenth film by Quentin Tarantino, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. Warning, spoilers ahead.
In 2009, Pitt starred in his first Tarantino movie, ‘Inglourious Basterds’, and just one watch of his performance as Lt. Aldo Raine makes it apparent as to why Tarantino would want to cast him again. It’s no doubt that the role was one of Pitt’s best, and maybe one of Tarantino’s most well written characters, with sharp dialogue and witty banter, adding a comedic element to the film.
Pitt’s performance as Booth is almost as good, if not equally as good, as his iconic role of Lt. Aldo Raine, which is a positive enough review to bestow deservedness of the Golden Globe upon him. Booth is a stuntman and best friend and colleague to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Rick Dalton, offering comedic support and general assistance to Dalton as his career is seeming too plummet.
Booth’s mysterious background with rumors of murdering his wife, his love for his muscular pitbull, and his personality of a take-no-prisoners type of guy is more than believable thanks to Pitt. The cherry on top being at the crescendo of the film, when he fights and murders two members of the Manson Family with the help of his aforementioned pitbull, Brandy.
It’s also clear that Booth is not shy to fight, even almost winning a fight with Bruce Lee, portrayed by Mike Moh, before they are broken up. It also seems that Booth is accustomed to this type of behavior, as no one wants to hire him with the murder accusations up in the air. It’s safe to assume that Pitt’s charm on the silver screen is drawn from reality, as is apparent with one watch of his acceptance speech for the Golden Globe. He even cracks a joke referencing costar Leonardo DiCaprio’s role as Jack in Titanic, saying “still, I would’ve made room on the raft.”
Pitt brings the character to life and the pairing of the well written character with his near immaculate portrayal comes together to sell Cliff Booth as a real person. Sometimes in movies, actors are visibly trying to convince the audience to believe that the character is real, but Pitt immediately and indubitably sells it to the audience.
