Tom Cruise Almost Starred in This Quentin Tarantino Movie

The Big Picture

• Brad Pitt was Quentin Tarantino’s “Number 1” choice for the role of Cliff Booth in
  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
  .
• However, Tom Cruise was almost considered for the part, even though Pitt was ultimately cast due to the right pairing with Leonardo DiCaprio.
• Tarantino and Pitt are teaming up again for Tarantino’s 10th and final film,
  The Movie Critic
  .

With a career as prestigious as that of two-time Oscar winner Quentin Tarantino, there is no shortage of great and renowned actors to work with the filmmaker. Ever since he exploded onto the scene with the legendary crime caper Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino’s resume of nine feature films all boast astonishing ensemble casts. The casts of Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hateful Eight alone could quickly fill up the Dolby Theater with the extraordinary level of star power attached to them.

Arguably, one of the best ensemble casts that Quentin Tarantino has ever directed came from his ninth feature film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a nearly three-hour epic, packed to the brim with A-List stars. The Oscar-winning film features heavy-hitting actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Margaret Qualley, Al Pacino, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Kurt Russell, and a cusp of stardom-era Austin Butler just to name a few. One of the standouts of the already stellar cast is easily Pitt, whose performance as the cool-headed and charismatic stuntperson Cliff Booth earned the Bullet Train star an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Cliff Booth has persevered as one of Tarantino and Pitt’s best characters, but there was almost a scenario where Pitt did not play the part. Instead, the part almost went to another A-List star who has earned a stellar reputation in the industry for his love of moviemaking and professional stuntwork — two qualities that describe the fictional character of Cliff Booth to a tee through renowned megastar, Tom Cruise. But what exactly happened that it never came to fruition?

How Did Brad Pitt Get Cast in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’?

As fans of Quentin Tarantino’s filmography know, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was not Brad Pitt’s first rodeo with the acclaimed director. In 2009, Pitt was the lead star of what is arguably one of Tarantino’s most acclaimed and celebrated films, Inglourious Basterds. Set in an alternate timeline during World War II, the legendary dark dramedy sees an American lieutenant named Aldo Raine (Pitt) recruit a squad of American Jews to infiltrate Nazi-occupied France and cull the German forces, even planning on assassinating Adolf Hitler (Martin Wuttke) himself. The massive critical and financial success of Inglourious Basterds speaks for itself, so it’s hardly a surprise that the acclaimed director and the beloved actor would want to work together again.

Tarantino and Pitt finally got the chance to work together again with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and according to Tarantino himself, Pitt was his “number 1” choice for the role of Cliff Booth. The same can also be said for Pitt’s on-screen co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, who also had previously worked with Tarantino when DiCaprio was previously playing the villain of Calvin Candy in Django Unchained. The rest of the movie is film history, as struggling actor Rick Dalton tries to find meaningful roles and work in an ever-changing industry while his best friend and stuntman Cliff Booth tries to live a quiet and carefree lifestyle (despite being accused of murdering his wife). The result is one of Tarantino’s best works. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a refreshingly comedic and light-hearted venture that still stays true to Tarantino’s hallmarks as a filmmaker.

Quentin Tarantino Considered Tom Cruise for ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’

While Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were Quentin Tarantino’s first choices for Cliff Booth and Rick Dalton, he also considered several other pairings for the part in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. One of those pairings included a massive star whom Tarantino has yet to work with. That individual in question is none other than Tom Cruise, better known as “Mr. See You At The Movies.” Nowadays, Cruise is most well-known for his dedicated work in the action genre (and saving studios), particularly with the wildly successful Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises. Still, his skill as an actor goes far beyond stuntwork as he is also a three-time Oscar nominee (four if you count his producing role on Top Gun: Maverick) who has starred in prestigious works like Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, and, of course, Tropic Thunder.

According to Tarantino during an interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, consideration for Cruise in the part of Cliff Booth was serious enough to the point where Tarantino and Cruise had a conversation about the part. Tarantino’s response to the discussion was nothing but positive, calling Cruise a “great guy” and even proudly stating he’d like to work with him on another project in the future. The decision to cast Pitt instead of Cruise came down to getting the right pair of actors for the dual protagonists, which he elaborated on further by stating how it all came down to creating an aspect of realism.

“So the reality is I had maybe eight different pairings of actors that could go together in a realistic way in this kind of situation. Now the ones that I got were definitely my number 1 [choices], but I could never just be confident about that, I had to have a few different backups and a few different exploratory ways to go.”

Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt Are Teaming Up Again for ‘The Movie Critic’

With two massive successes under their belt already, Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt are aiming to perform a hat trick with Tarantino’s 10th (and supposedly final) feature film, The Movie Critic. Apart from the title implying that the film will focus on a movie critic, not much is known about the highly anticipated potential send-off for Tarantino’s filmmaking career. However, we do know that Brad Pitt will be coming along for the ride, presumably in a lead role of sorts. With the casting process for the film now getting underway, who knows — maybe we’ll see Tom Cruise finally collaborate with Quentin Tarantino for the first and last time.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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