Why Brad Pitt didn’t want to fight Bruce Lee during ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
A Hollywood heavyweight like Brad Pitt is familiar with action-packed fight sequences, but one fight he didn’t want to win was against legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. Or rather, against his character in the most recent Quentin Tarantino film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The movie stirred controversy with its portrayal of Bruce Lee, with many fans, including Lee’s own daughter, criticising the depiction. The point of contention was an infamous fight scene between Pitt’s character Cliff Booth, a stuntman, and the fictionalised Bruce Lee, portrayed by actor Mike Moh.
The scene, which takes place on the set of a film Lee is supposedly starring in, showcases Booth and Lee engaging in a three-round ‘friendly’ combat. Booth and Lee tie the first two rounds in the film’s narrative; however, the original script had a clear victor: Booth. This decisive victory for Booth over the martial arts legend raised eyebrows, including Pitt’s.
According to the film’s co-stunt coordinator Robert Alonzo, speaking to the Huffington Post, Pitt was among several who “had concerns” about the original showdown. The Oscar-winning actor was uncomfortable with the notion of his character conclusively defeating Lee, an icon renowned for his unparalleled martial arts skills.
After a dialogue where Pitt “expressed his concerns”, Tarantino explored various alternatives to the sequence. The scene was initially “much longer” and comprised an unbroken three-round fight between Booth and Lee. However, following the consultations, the final version had the third round interrupted before a clear victor could be declared.
The decision to alter the scene was met with relief from some quarters, mitigating what would likely have been an even greater backlash from fans and followers of Bruce Lee. Despite this, the film did not entirely escape controversy.
The altered portrayal of Lee was criticised for its seemingly arrogant depiction. Lee’s daughter, Shannon, described her father’s representation in the film as “really disheartening—and, I feel, unnecessary”. Tarantino’s decision to show Lee boasting about his abilities, despite evidence to the contrary from those who knew him personally, led to some fans taking issue with his interpretation.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood may be a fictional tale interweaved with real-life figures, but the controversy around Lee’s portrayal emphasises the importance of handling such iconic figures with sensitivity. As for Brad Pitt, his reluctance to fight Bruce Lee seems to confirm his respect for the martial arts legend.
Tarantino has often used his cinematic licence to rewrite history; In Inglourious Basterds, a band of Jewish soldiers led by Brad Pitt’s character carry out the assassination of Hitler; in Django Unchained, he tells a revisionist tale of a freed slave exacting vengeance in pre-Civil War America. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood uses this technique multiple times, presenting an excruciatingly bloody ending to the infamous Manson Family murders.
While these historical rewrites can be controversial, they’re swiftly becoming the director’s trademark. With his tenth and final film set to be called The Movie Critic and taking place in 1977, we’ll have to see what other part of history Tarantino may alter.
