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\n\tHis mindset had paid off, and such was their determination to see him in person that Quentin and casting director Vickie Thomas decided to work around the young actor\u2019s theater commitments. With that in mind, the Manson Family workshop would be held on June 11, a Monday \u2014 Butler\u2019s one day off.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAs soon as I finished the matinee on Sunday, I flew to Los Angeles,\u201d Butler recalls. \u201cI wanted to spend the night in my home there. I was still completely in the dark as to what role I was auditioning for \u2014 literally, no idea. I still thought it was for a cowboy. In a way, it was a blessing for my mental health, right, because I did not have the option to overthink. On the plane, I had nothing to prepare, so it allowed me to just be, to just be on the plane, to eat, to actually taste the food I was eating, to have a conversation with the people on the plane, and to not be thinking ahead. Just be present. I did not have anything to read, no script, no side. So I ate and then slept like a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
\n\tA normal day off in New York was a day to sleep late and relax \u2014 one day to recuperate from a busy schedule \u2014 but on this particular Monday, Butler was up nice and early, refreshed and supercharged. He was ready to play. Arriving at the offices around 9 a.m., he was greeted by Thomas. He decided to take a chance and ask the casting director for some more detail.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cDo you know anything about the part I\u2019m to audition for, Vickie?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cYes, it is Tex Watson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOK.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHe had been told that all phones were to be handed in upon entering the building, but thinking on his feet, he made a beeline back out the front door, whipped out his phone, and hit the internet.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cOh \u2014 oh, my God! Tex Watson was part of the Manson Family!\u201d he said out loud.<\/p>\n
\n\tHe quickly came across some videos and saw how Tex moved and how he spoke. Tex struggled with pronouncing \u201cs\u201d sounds. Butler opened up some articles and speed-read like never before.<\/p>\n
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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n
\n\t\u201cNot knowing that I was actually up for Tex simplified things,\u201d Butler recalls. \u201cI wasn\u2019t on the plane trying to understand what his childhood was like, what did he eat for breakfast, and those sorts of things. It was more streamlined because I didn\u2019t have the time for it. I quickly read and watched what I could. I certainly had no idea that Quentin and Vickie liked my tape so much, and hearing that now, does it give you more confidence or does it add to the pressure? If I had known that going in, I don\u2019t know. I think not knowing anything suited my psyche.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tReentering the building, he was greeted with an instruction: \u201cOK, Austin, we need to take your phone.\u201d After signing an NDA, he was guided to a room. \u201cQuentin will arrive soon, and he will give you material to read.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAlready in the cinema room at the Magnum Opus offices were seven young girls, all seemingly from 1969. Austin was the first guy, but then another one appeared.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHi! I\u2019m James.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAustin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cFuck, this is quite possibly the most handsome man I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d James Landry H\u00e9bert thought at the time.<\/p>\n
\n\tPleasantries were exchanged, and though the pair were evidently in a showdown to play the role of Tex, there was no reason to not share some love \u2014 may the best Tex win, and all that.<\/p>\n
\n\tMan, if the vibe of the late Sixties and the early Seventies was the pervading spirit of the day, then let peace and love win!<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cAustin Butler was the only other dude there,\u201d H\u00e9bert recalls, \u201cand I\u2019m, like, \u2018This is what I am competing against?\u2019 Fucking Elvis! He wasn\u2019t Elvis at the time, but he might as well have been. He was one of the best-looking guys I had ever met. So it\u2019s, like, me versus you for Tex, basically. Everyone else there were potential Manson girls \u2014 an array of great actresses and then also daughters of great actors and actresses, and then all these people who had never acted but everyone was really interesting, artsy, seemingly like authentic Manson girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tTarantino directs his Manson Family actors while script supervisor Martin \u201cthe Cobra\u201d Kitrosser pores over a script.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tANDREW COOPER\/ Insight\/The Story Factory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tAs the guys eyed each other, Madisen Beaty had made the decision to control her breathing. If she managed her inhaling and exhaling, she could control any fretfulness.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy nerves that day were crazy,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI had no expectations, but it was one of those moments when you walked into the room, and we were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but you could feel the nervous tension.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMikey Madison, Quentin\u2019s secret agent, was surveying the room. It was crammed full of talented actors. She wondered, did she really have the role?<\/p>\n \n\tVickie Thomas had everyone sit in a circle, and then Quentin came into the room. The shift in focus was palpable.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHey guys, how you all doing \u2014 you excited?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tA nervous murmur greeted the filmmaker.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWow, just seeing him in person \u2014 to be in the same room as the guy who I had so much admiration and respect for \u2014 just blew my mind,\u201d Austin Butler recalls, laughing. \u201cIt was Quentin Tarantino, and he looked every inch like Quentin Tarantino. It kinda blew my mind!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMaya Hawke\u2019s memory of going into the day was, she says, of \u201cbeing so scared because I guess I knew that Quentin was going to be there, and I have known him my whole life. But, of course, in the room that day, he was very different, you know? He wasn\u2019t, like, kooky Uncle Quentin \u2014 he was in serious mode.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tQuentin followed up his greeting by saying to the young group he had assembled, \u201cLook, I know you\u2019re nervous, and that is OK, but I don\u2019t want you to be nervous. We\u2019re here to have fun. We love movies, we love what we do, and I just want you to have fun, and I don\u2019t want any nerves to spoil the fun we\u2019re gonna have, alright?<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOK, everybody tell us your name and what you last did,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \n\tAn outsider might have felt like they had walked in on an AA meeting, but the attendees were there to convince the filmmaker in their midst to hire them. Each would-be Manson Family member made their introduction, giving their background or, for the nonprofessionals, something about themselves.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHi, I\u2019m Austin Butler, and I am currently on Broadway in Eugene O\u2019Neill\u2019s The Iceman Cometh.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOh fuck \u2014 that\u2019s with Denzel Washington,\u201d Butler\u2019s fellow Tex wannabe thought to himself. \u201cHow the fuck do I compete with that? I\u2019m growing out a Mohawk from Stranger Things.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFinally, the turn came for the other young dude in the room to introduce himself.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHi, I\u2019m James Landry H\u00e9bert. Stranger Things was the last thing I did.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd then it struck him: Austin Butler might be working with Denzel Washington, but he ain\u2019t no cowboy.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFuck it, I was brought up on a reservation \u2014 I\u2019ve ridden horses all my life. Tex has to ride a horse. Come on, James,\u201d he thought to himself, \u201ctell them about your horse riding!<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI was brought up on an Indian reservation, and when I am not acting, I work on a ranch, working with and riding horses all day.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOthers began talking about their experience on horses, and then, to James Landry H\u00e9bert\u2019s dismay, the other guy spoke about his prowess on a horse.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy grandfather owned a ranch, and he put me on a horse from a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFuck! With the introductions over, and despite H\u00e9bert\u2019s professed proficiency with horses, it was obvious to him that Butler had won the round: Denzel Washington and horses? Come on!<\/p>\n \n\tQuentin, though, wanted to alleviate any fears that their past experience or inexperience would be crucial. They were all there on merit.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLook, an actor\u2019s gotta do what they\u2019ve gotta do,\u201d he told the group. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to eat. That\u2019s OK \u2014 who cares what you\u2019ve done before? You\u2019re here now. You could have done nothing, but what matters is, we\u2019ve seen something in you, and you\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\u00a0Downtime on the Spahn Ranch, with the Manson Family actors. \u201cI have the eyes of a historian when I am working on Quentin\u2019s movies,\u201d says still photographer Andrew Cooper. \u201cThe photographs will not only become part of the shared popular culture of movie history, they will be a piece of personal history of the cast and crew.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tANDREW COOPER\/ Insight\/The Story Factory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tQUENTIN EXPLAINED about the scene they were going to be working on that day: Three Manson girls and Tex arrive in a private cul-de-sac in their car and are confronted by Rick Dalton. The sides were duly handed out to each attendee.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOK, I am going to split you into two groups,\u201d Quentin continued. \u201cAustin and James, we are going to have different Manson girls and mix and match them with you both.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPointing at the girls in turn, he started counting off names of the family members. \u201cOK, you\u2019re a Katie, you\u2019re a Sadie, you\u2019re Flowerchild . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLooking at Beaty, Quentin said, \u201cKatie is Patricia Krenwinkel. Do you want any background?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cKind of odd,\u201d thought Madisen Beaty to herself. \u201cI\u2019m playing Patricia \u2018Katie\u2019 Krenwinkel again.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWell, I\u2019ll take anything,\u201d Beaty replied, \u201cbut I do know who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOK. Now, Austin, because you are onstage every night with Denzel doing Eugene O\u2019Neill, I am going to make you the team leader of your team,\u201d Quentin said, \u201cand James, you\u2019re the leader of your team. You decide how you want to do this. I am not going to give you any direction at this stage. Alright? I\u2019ll be back in 30 minutes or so.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEverybody took off to their own little oasis and began to read through their pages \u2014 the only sound in the room was the flipping of paper.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLook, I cannot swear to the timings because there was no clock in the rehearsal room,\u201d Beaty recalls, \u201cbut it felt like 20 minutes or so had passed and we were all off book.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAny petty rivalries were put aside, and in the true sense of the actor\u2019s code, offers came to help each other read over the piece.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was great, but I think we all had our own process to regulate our nerves,\u201d Beaty says. \u201cI controlled my breathing \u2014 almost meditated. Others chatted, and Austin paced. Austin is a movement guy, a pacer. You do what works for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt\u2019s true, I paced!\u201d Butler confirms, laughing. \u201cBut in that moment, it allowed me to focus on what I wanted to do in the scene: Who are these people to me, and why am I trying to affect them, and what do I want? It just simplifies the drives for me \u2014\u00a0just working over the material and aiming to do your best when Quentin walks back in.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMaya Hawke, who had flown into L.A. from New York, says she felt like she had been transported into The Hunger Games. \u201cIt was unlike anything I had or have since been involved with.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tReading over the material, it was obvious to Butler that the players were in a car, and so, his theater experience kicking in, he pulled up some chairs. Now, there was a car. His family began rehearsing.<\/p>\n \n\tFinally, Quentin reappeared. \u201cWho wants to go first?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tButler looked at his group and said, \u201cShall we?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s a Tex move,\u201d Beaty thought to herself.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI was like, go!\u201d Butler says. \u201cYou can either let fear rule you, or you meet it head on.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs each group came up, taking seats as though they were in a car, Quentin gave notes. Butler says he recalls the filmmaker \u201cwalking around and coming right up to your face, and then he\u2019d dart to another angle, and it was as if his mind was the camera. The purity was incredible \u2014 he would watch, and we would play.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tQuentin called a halt to proceedings with an inquiry. \u201cOK, does anybody want to play the Leo role, Rick Dalton?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTentatively, two of the would-be Manson girls raised their hands. The first girl went up and read the lines as a customary reader would, servicing the actor and removing themselves from the equation. It was all very traditional. Traditional was not what Quentin was necessarily looking for.<\/p>\n \n\tThe scene reading over, he called for his next Leo. \u201cAlright, Madisen, now is your time to be Leo!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBeaty made a snap decision to play it for real. For no other reason than the monotone, \u201ccorrect\u201d reading had already been given. Go with something different, her gut told her. There was also a secondary reason: She was effectively losing out on playing one of the Manson girls, but here was an opportunity to play Leonardo DiCaprio in front of Quentin Tarantino. Why not go for it?<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tTarantino with Leonardo DiCaprio on set<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tANDREW COOPER\/ Insight\/The Story Factory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cI figured it was like my audition, balls and all,\u201d she recalls. \u201cYou know, you can always pull me back, but you don\u2019t know how much you can push me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBeaty gave it the whole shooting match and went crazy-Rick and began screaming in Butler\u2019s face, spittle flying. \u201cYou motherfucking hippies!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tQuentin let out a belly laugh and clapped. \u201cFuck, yeah!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBeaty remained laser-focused and carried on challenging Butler\u2019s Tex. Her thinking was, this is either going to mess it up for her or show what she could do as an actor, but either way, it was too late to turn back now.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI wanted every opportunity to play with Quentin,\u201d Beaty says. \u201cYou know, whether I get the role or not, am I going to get the opportunity to play with one of the best filmmakers of all time ever again? It was worth the chance of having him say, \u2018Calm down,\u2019 I figured.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tDespite nagging doubts as to the validity of what she believed to be true \u2014 that she did indeed have the role of Kitty Kat \u2014 Mikey Madison was loving rehearsing with the prospective other Manson Family members, and, she says, \u201cWatching Quentin work us was just so interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLunch was called.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhat time do you think it is?\u201d Butler asked.<\/p>\n \n\tNobody had a clue. They were in some weird but cool time warp.<\/p>\n \n\tOver a bite to eat, everybody kicked back and chatted it up a little. Their nice group of nine became 10 when Quentin joined them.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt all felt so personable and informal, just everyone talking with each other,\u201d Sydney Sweeney recalls.<\/p>\n \n\tAfter lunch, Quentin changed it up, switching the Texes to different groups. James Landry H\u00e9bert\u2019s group was pulled into an office to work together.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018Holy shit, I am in Quentin Tarantino\u2019s office right now!\u2019\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n \n\tHe spied a headshot on what he presumed was Quentin\u2019s desk. It had the Jughead character\u2019s name, Business Bob, written on it \u2014 the guy he had originally read for. He couldn\u2019t help himself and flipped it over to see who had won the role. It was Scoot McNairy.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s cool,\u201d H\u00e9bert thought to himself. \u201cScoot McNairy is great, but I am in Quentin\u2019s office now, so I think I won here \u2014 maybe we\u2019ll see?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tQuentin continued switching up the different dynamics.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHis playfulness stood out,\u201d H\u00e9bert recalls. \u201cYou could tell he was so excited to be there casting his movie and knows everything about the subject matter. He just kept it loose and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Quentin the auditioning process serves two functions.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOne is that I am auditioning actors to fill the given roles, but two, these people are not being paid to come down here. So that is why it can be draining, because I don\u2019t want them to waste my time. I don\u2019t have time to waste, so I deserve their best, or they shouldn\u2019t be wasting my time, but consequently, they deserve my best, or otherwise I am wasting their time.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSo, even if I know \u2014 and believe me, there have been times when I did not want to do this, and never in a million years will I cast this person \u2014 I will give them another chance at the scene. You will always get chances with me, there will always be some note from me. You will leave the room saying, \u2018I worked with Quentin Tarantino.\u2019<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBut it serves another function for me,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere is a little bit of those auditions of me remembering how to direct again. It is exciting! I have written it, and it is a solitary existence, and now I am seeing the baby on its feet. I am testing it out and thinking, \u2018Hey, that is a funny line. That\u2019s funnier than I thought.\u2019 I am figuring out things, and I am remembering how to talk to actors again, and it is my job to bring the best out of them, and I am remembering how to do that, and by the time I get through rehearsal, it is my crash course in directing again. I go through everything, and it teaches me to keep up and keep sharp so when you are up in the clouds, you do a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe workshop continued. Beaty never made it out of the cinema room. She did, however, get to play with both Texes.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen I was paired with James, his Tex was so different from Austin\u2019s,\u201d Beaty recalls. \u201cI loved the fact that James played it like a real-life cowboy. It was an elevated version of James. It felt so authentic. Then Austin played it where I felt a little more unnerved. This guy was menacingly crazy and so quiet \u2014 whereas James was so animated and free, and you didn\u2019t know what he was going to do. If you had asked me on the day who was going to be cast as Tex, I would not have had a clue.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tQuentin Tarantino jokes with Dakota Fanning while assistant property master Cindy Mah hands the cast prop joints.<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tANDREW COOPER\/ Insight\/The Story Factory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\tBeaty looked at the last stage car she was in. She was sitting up front with Butler, with Maya Hawke and Mikey Madison in the rear. It felt good \u2014 there was a connection.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIn my mind, it wasn\u2019t like I knew that Quentin had found his four,\u201d she recalls. \u201cI maybe felt that I was doing something right, but never was I thinking, you know . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere was a sense of confusion for us over the different parts,\u201d Hawke says, \u201cbut looking back, Quentin was kind of casting during that day and sort of helping us find our way into the car. He was orchestrating this group of people and where each person fit. I loved Mikey immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn the early evening, Quentin brought an exhausting, and yet exhilarating, day to an end.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThank you all for coming. Did you guys have fun?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThere was a universal cheer \u2014 everybody had been tickled pink to be there.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt all felt surreal,\u201d Sydney Sweeney recalls. \u201cSometimes I still look back on it and it feels like a dream that I\u2019m trying to remember. That audition day will forever be one of the most unique experiences I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMadisen Beaty found herself where her day had begun, in the car park, sitting in her car. Where had the day gone? Dusk was settling in, and she just took 10 minutes to sit in a shocked silence and ask herself the question, \u201cDid that really happen?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLater, as the adrenaline was still threading through her body, her brain told her that she was shattered, but the buzz was telling her that sleep was not an option. She had won the actor\u2019s lotto. She called a girlfriend. Explaining to her that she could not talk about her day but needed company, they shared a bite and raised a glass.<\/p>\n \n\tMANY OF THE PROSPECTIVE Manson Family members had been cut loose, but Austin Butler found himself sitting next to Maya Hawke alone in Quentin\u2019s office.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019re the only two people in the room, so I guess it must be good news, right?\u201d Butler asked her.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m supposing,\u201d Hawke replied. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAn overriding thirst came over Butler, and he left the room in search of a glass of water.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHey, where are you going?\u201d Vickie Thomas asked him in the hallway.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m just gonna grab some water.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOK. After you get your water, I want you to meet me in that office over there.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThirst quenched and water in hand, as instructed, Butler entered the office and found himself standing in front of Quentin and Thomas.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGet the door for me and take a seat, Austin,\u201d the filmmaker told him.<\/p>\n \n\tThe three of them settled, and Quentin began to lay out his vision for the film.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cObviously, I want you to read the script.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tButler was trying to listen and take in everything, but in his mind, he was frantically thinking, Is this happening? Is this actually happening? Is Quentin talking like I have the role?<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI have this idea for a horse. I hear you can ride horses. Are you actually any good?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYeah, I have ridden horses since I was a kid. I\u2019m fairly good. I would love to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere is a fight scene between you and Brad Pitt. Would you be up for fighting Brad?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAbsolutely! I mean, Fight Club is one of my all-time favorite movies, so the idea of fighting Brad Pitt, you could not even fathom how much of a dream come true that is, Quentin,\u201d Butler replied, beaming.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOK, alright. Well, I would love for you to be my Tex Watson.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYeah!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tButler shot up and, unable to dampen his unbridled enthusiasm, he gave Quentin a hug, and then it was Vickie\u2019s turn to be embraced. He was in dreamland.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWell, I now want for you to read the script so you know what you are getting into,\u201d the filmmaker continued.<\/p>\n \n\tBefore that could happen, he was asked to sign another NDA. Taking a seat in a small room crammed full of film canisters, Butler took a moment to look at the script before him. For one, it was huge, and second, it marked the first time he had read a Quentin Tarantino script before the movie had hit theaters. He was truly in dreamland.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI had flown out just for the day, so it was a whirlwind of a dream come true. It was just surreal. I am a slow reader, but I was just blown away by its brilliance.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFinally, with the clock kissing 9 p.m., his cell phone was returned to him, and he made his way into the Los Angeles night. After he switched on his phone, it immediately began to light up with a chain of missed calls, text messages, and voicemails.<\/p>\n \n\tThe realization hit him: He had missed the other appointments his agency had booked for him. Taking advantage of Butler\u2019s rare visit to Los Angeles from New York, they had booked auditions, including one for Top Gun: Maverick with Joseph Kosinski. Listening to the last message, Butler detected fear in the voice on the other end of the line: They were on the verge of sending out search parties and contacting the LAPD to check on any car accidents that day.<\/p>\n \n\tWithout bothering to listen to the remainder of the message, he placed a call to his agents.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhere are you? Are you OK? You missed all of your other auditions today!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I got that part. I am going to be doing the movie with Quentin.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tMAYA HAWKE WAS told that she was to be a fully fledged member of the Manson Family. She now had to navigate finding time from the show she had signed on for: She was to play Robin Buckley in the third season of Stranger Things.<\/p>\n \n\tBefore leaving the audition day, Mikey Madison just had to erase doubts that she truly had the role.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cLet me tell you, Quentin is such a good actor,\u201d she says. \u201cHe was very nonchalant when he was talking to me \u2014 nobody would have ever guessed that I had been given a role. He even made me think, like, \u2018Oh, do I actually have the role?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHer doubts were erased when it was confirmed that nothing had changed \u2014 Kitty Kat was hers.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI just wanted to double-check!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLATER THAT EVENING, Sydney Sweeney found herself at an industry event. She spied Vickie Thomas.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cVickie pulled me aside and whispered the news. I had to promise not to say anything, which I\u2019m breaking now!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe role of Snake, a Manson Family member, was hers. She recalls \u201cfloating on cloud nine for the rest of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFlying back to New York the following morning, Austin Butler may have missed his rest day, but there was no feeling of exhaustion. On the contrary, his body and nerves were charged.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt is the only time that I have been told that I had the role as I left the room,\u201d he says. \u201cThat evening, I walked out onstage with Denzel, and I could not help but think, as I looked out over the audience, \u2018I am going to be doing a movie with Quentin Tarantino.\u2019 It felt just so surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n \n\tPublished courtesy of Insight Editions & The Story Factory, from Jay Glennie\u2019s The Making of Once Upon a Time\u2026 in Hollywood (October 28, 2025) all rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.rollingstone.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A magnificent new coffee table book, \u2018The Making of Quentin Tarantino\u2019s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood\u2019 by author Jay Glennie, arrives in stores this week. For fans of the movie it\u2019s a must-have behind-the-scenes look at Tarantino\u2019s classic revisionist history of the Manson family murders. The film is also the director\u2019s love letter to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2120978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[311575,364168,364165,336174,318878,309386],"class_list":["post-2120977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-austin-butler","tag-maya-hawke","tag-mikey-madison","tag-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood","tag-quentin-tarantino","tag-sydney-sweeney"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Inside-Quentin-Tarantinos-Star-Studded-Manson-Family-Casting-Call.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2120977"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2120979,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120977\/revisions\/2120979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2120978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2120977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2120977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2120977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n