Quentin Tarantino shuts down reporter at Cannes over Margot Robbie question

Quentin Tarantino stirred the pot in Cannes this afternoon, getting terse with a reporter who questioned the writing of Margot Robbie’s part in his upcoming film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

The brutally direct question came from a New York Times reporter as part of the Cannes press day attended by Tarantino and the stars of the film, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie.

Margot plays the role of Sharon Tate, the Hollywood actress who was killed by the followers of Charles Manson in real life, and the journalist wanted to know why - as the central character in the real event - Margot was given so few lines.

“This is a person with a great deal of acting talent and yet you haven’t really given her many lines in the movie,” she summed up the situation.

The reporter went on to ask why the director had made the ‘deliberate choice’, and it went over about as well as you would imagine.

“Well I just reject your hypothesis,” the director responded, while the stars sat expressionless on either side of him.

The awkward moment was slightly alleviated by Margot, who jumped in with her theory on the character development, saying she felt the writing ‘honoured Sharon and the likeness’.

“I always look to the character and what the character is supposed to serve to the story,” she said.

“I think the tragedy was ultimately the loss of innocence, and I think to show those wonderful sides of her could be done without speaking.

“I think I got a lot of time to explore the character, even without dialogue specifically.”

Tarantino was similarly curt with another reporter who questioned whether the director hesitated before choosing to explore a murder victim who was as tragic as Tate.

‘No,’ was his one word response.

The frosty performance has prompted commentary online, with some criticising the director for his treatment of the question given it came from a female reporter.

Others have pointed out some of Tarantino’s most iconic films like Kill Bill, are female led and dominated.

The frosty response to the press comes after the director opened up about his ninth film, which revisits the last moments of Hollywood’s Golden age.

He has earlier said the film is an embodiment of his childhood experience in LA.

“This is me. This is the year that formed me. I was six years old then. This is my world. And this is my love letter to LA."

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