Austin Butler on working with Quentin Tarantino

While Austin Butler found early success as a child star on various Disney and Nickelodeon shows, his role on “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” essentially marked the party as a serious movie star. In the Quentin Tarantino film, Butler played Tex Watson, an associate of the fictional Charles Manson. Although it was a relatively small role, he appeared in two key scenes that paved the way for the coveted title role in Elvis.

Virtually every unknown actor dreams of launching their career in a Tarantino film, as there are few better ways to ensure that anyone with even a passing interest in cinema gets to see their performance. And according to Butler, the experience also came with some very pleasant surprises.

He appears on the chicken wing-centric talk show “Gay” Butler explained that Tarantino likes to lead his cast and crew through a unique ritual when he wants to shoot extra footage of a scene.

“I talked a lot about how much Quentin meant to me,” Butler said. “It’s always been my dream to work with him. We’re on set and he’s like, “Okay, I’ve got it. We’ll do another one. You know why?’ And the whole crew shouts, “Because we love making movies!” And when you’re there for the first time, you’re not into it. So Brad, Leo, everybody says, “Because we love making movies!”

While the image of Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio chanting “we love making movies” makes for a delightful anecdote, Butler used it to further highlight Tarantino’s joyous approach to filmmaking. While many productions can feel rushed and uncomfortable, Butler said a figure like Tarantino can remind her what a fun job she has.

“There are kits that are so sterile,” he said. “There are sets where there is no joy. There are sets where people are just in one job and you’re trying to create something that you’re going to give to the world. With Quentin, it was so cool because it just changes the atoms in the room. And then the next time, “We love making movies!” it happens, you’re in it. So any new cast member, actor or whoever, suddenly becomes part of the tribe and says, “We love making movies!”.

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