How the Quentin Tarantino ‘Manson Family’ have come to dominate Hollywood
Following the divisive reception of Quentin Tarantino’s 2015 film The Hateful Eight, one might have been forgiven for thinking that the director’s best years were well behind him. However, four years later, the Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill filmmaker returned to his best form with the brilliant comedy-drama Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which serves today as one of his best efforts.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tells of a fading actor and his stunt double as they traverse the difficulties of the changing film industry at the end of the 1960s. At the same time, Tarantino delivers a reimagining of the infamous murders of actor Sharon Tate at the hands of a group of members of the Manson Family.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is raucous, to say the least, and Tarantino brings some excellent performances out of DiCaprio and Pitt as Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, respectively. There’s another interesting facet about Tarantino’s 2019 effort, though, and that is that many of the actors who played someone in the Manson Family have gone on to dominate Hollywood in one way or another.
Beginning perhaps with the least known of the Manson actors, Victoria Peddretti, who played Leslie Van Houten for Tarantino, has since emerged as an indie movie star with performances in the likes of Shirley, Origin and Ponyboy, while efforts in television like The Haunting of Bly Manor and You have also further enhanced her star credentials.
From there, though, the Manson actors really begin to make a big impression. Mikey Madison is on the verge of becoming a huge star; after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she announced herself as a modern scream queen with a performance in 2022’s Scream and has recently made headlines at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival with the lead role in Sean Baker’s comedy film Anora, which was considered one of the best offerings in competition.
Now, the real star quality can begin, though. Fair enough, Maya Hawke possessed the kind of nepotistic head start as a result of being the daughter of Hollywood mainstays Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, but the fact that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was just her second film performance and that she has gone on to star in the likes of Asteroid City and Maestro goes some way to prove that Tarantino had put together the next generation of Hollywood brilliance as his 2019 Manson Family ensemble.
As with Hawke, Margaret Qualley, daughter of Andie McDowell, had a leg up into the industry, and she had already played in The Nice Guys and Death Note by the time she featured for Tarantino. But the inclusion of the actor, who played perhaps the most prominent role in Tarantino’s Manson Family group, has cemented her position of power in Hollywood with further acclaimed efforts in Poor Things, Drive-Away Dolls, Kinds of Kindness and The Substance, yet another work that drew widespread admiration at Cannes 2024.
The list just never seems to end, though, because let’s not forget that Sydney Sweeney had also been a member of the Manson Family in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and even though she had an admittedly small role, she has since become of the most popular and sought after actors in Hollywood with efforts in the likes of Euphoria, The White Lotus, Reality and Immaculate all proving her star quality.
Finally, we arrive at good old Austin Butler, who played the Manson cowboy Tex Watson for Tarantino in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Having already been a Disney and Nickelodeon star, Butler’s effort in Once Upon a Time announced him as a serious actor and just a few years later he was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis and any doubts surrounding Butler’s talent were quickly swept up when Butler completely stole the show in Dune: Part Two, even up against the likes of Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh, Lea Seydoux and Stellan Skarsgard.
While the aforementioned stars might have gone on to achieve success even if it weren’t for their respective appearances in Tarantino’s 2019 comedy-drama, it can’t just be a mere coincidence. After all, any actor knows that if they get a part in a Tarantino movie, it will result in serious profile coverage and judging from the success of the likes of Butler, Sweeney, Hawke and Qualley, Tarantino served them well in boosting their respective careers into greatness and stardom.
In recent years, there has been an ushering of new talent in Hollywood, a younger selection of actors ready to take over from the old guard. Tarantino had famously resurrected the career of some of the most faded actors in Hollywood, but with Once Upon a Time, he really served as the conduit to the next generation of American cinema’s biggest stars.
The likes of Christoph Waltz, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen have all profited greatly from Tarantino either launching or reviving their respective careers, so it may come as no surprise that with his 2019 film, the iconic director once again played the career angel and set Butler, Qualley and co. on the path to Hollywood brilliance.
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