Honestly, it’s been years since the movie hit theaters, and people still can't stop arguing about it. Some folks were genuinely mad. They walked out of the theater wondering why one of the biggest stars on the planet barely had anything to say. If you look at the numbers, Margot Robbie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood isn't your typical star turn. She has about 15 minutes of screentime and fewer than 50 lines of dialogue.
In a nearly three-hour epic, that's basically a cameo, right?
Wrong.
It was actually the whole point. Quentin Tarantino didn't cast her to deliver some Aaron Sorkin-style monologue. He cast her to be a "ghost on earth." He wanted to save Sharon Tate from her own tombstone, and he used Margot Robbie to do it. It wasn't about the tragedy; it was about the girl who liked to dance in her bedroom and watch her own movies.
Why the Lack of Dialogue Was a Power Move
When the film premiered at Cannes, a reporter famously asked Tarantino why he "wasted" Robbie's talent by giving her so few lines. His response? "I reject your hypothesis."
Short. Grumpy. Classic Quentin.
But Robbie herself actually defended the choice. She said that she could honor Sharon without speaking. Think about that for a second. Most actors are desperate for more lines. They want the big "Oscar moment" where they cry and scream and explain their trauma. Robbie did the opposite. She spent her time on screen just... existing.
She captures this specific, sunny 1969 energy. You see her picking up a hitchhiker, gabbing away (with the music turned up so we can't even hear the words), or excitedly telling a theater employee that she’s the girl on the poster. It’s light. It’s airy. It’s the total inverse of the "Manson Victim" narrative we’ve been fed for decades.
The Secret Preparation Most Fans Missed
Margot didn't just show up and put on a blonde wig. She went deep. To get the vibe right, she actually spent time with Sharon Tate’s sister, Debra Tate.
Debra was famously skeptical of the project at first. Can you blame her? Hollywood has spent fifty years exploiting her sister’s murder for cheap true-crime thrills. But Tarantino visited her in Santa Barbara, spent a weekend talking through the script, and eventually won her over.
- The Jewelry: Debra actually lent Margot some of Sharon’s real jewelry to wear in the film. That’s not a prop; that’s a talisman.
- The Scent: Margot reportedly wore the same perfume Sharon used to wear to help her get into the headspace of the late actress.
- The Research: She read Roman Polanski’s autobiography Roman by Polanski and watched every single one of Sharon’s films to mimic her specific "bumbling" comedic timing.
There’s a scene where Margot (as Sharon) goes into the Bruin Theatre in Westwood to watch The Wrecking Crew. If you look closely, the movie on the screen isn't a recreation. It’s the real Sharon Tate. Margot Robbie is sitting in the dark, watching the woman she's playing, mimicking her facial expressions in real-time. It’s meta as hell, and it’s arguably the most moving part of the whole film.
The Dirty Feet and the "Tarantino" Factor
Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room. The feet.
🔗 Read more: Free Rein: Why This Netflix Equestrian Drama Actually Worked
If you’ve seen a Tarantino movie, you know he has a... thing. In this movie, Sharon Tate spends a lot of time barefoot, often with very dirty soles. People rolled their eyes. They thought it was just the director being "himself" again.
But here’s the thing: Sharon Tate actually hated shoes.
In real life, Sharon would walk around Los Angeles barefoot all the time. She’d even put rubber bands around her ankles at restaurants to make it look like she was wearing sandals so she wouldn't get kicked out. The "dirty feet" weren't just a fetishistic choice; they were a weirdly accurate historical detail. It showed Sharon as a bohemian, a hippie at heart who didn't care about the stiff formalities of old-school Hollywood.
A Different Kind of Agency
A lot of critics argued that the character lacked "agency." In film school terms, agency usually means the character makes choices that drive the plot forward. In Margot Robbie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Sharon doesn't really do anything that affects Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) or Cliff Booth (Pitt) until the very last minute.
But maybe "doing things" isn't the only way to be a main character.
The movie is a fairy tale. It’s right there in the title: Once Upon a Time. In a fairy tale, the princess doesn't always have to slay the dragon. Sometimes, the most radical thing she can do is just survive. By keeping Sharon away from the violence—literally having her listen to music upstairs while the "Manson Family" gets torched in the driveway—Tarantino gives her a life she never got to have.
How to Watch It Like an Expert Next Time
If you’re going to rewatch it, don’t look for the plot in Sharon’s scenes. There isn't one. Instead, look for the "heartbeat."
- Notice the Joy: Every time Sharon is on screen, the colors are brighter. The music is better. She represents the "Summer of Love" before it turned sour.
- Watch the Cinema Scene: Pay attention to how Margot watches the audience. She’s not looking for fame; she’s looking for a connection. She wants to see if her jokes land.
- The Intercom Moment: At the very end, when Sharon invites Rick up for a drink, it’s the first time her voice really takes precedence. She’s just a neighbor being nice. It’s heartbreakingly normal.
Margot Robbie’s performance is a masterclass in "less is more." She didn't need a ten-minute speech to make us care about Sharon Tate. She just needed to show us a girl who was happy to be alive.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the real history behind the film, I'd highly recommend checking out the book Sharon Tate: Recollection by Debra Tate. It's a beautiful coffee table book that focuses on her life and style rather than the tragedy. Also, if you haven't seen the real The Wrecking Crew, go find it. You’ll finally see what Sharon (and Margot) were so excited about.
The movie isn't a documentary, but in the world of Margot Robbie and Tarantino, it's something better. It's a second chance.
Next Steps: You can actually visit many of the locations from the film in Los Angeles today. The Bruin Theatre in Westwood still looks almost exactly like it did in 1969, and they often show classic films. If you're a fan of the 60s aesthetic, researching the costume design by Arianne Phillips provides a fascinating look at how they sourced authentic vintage pieces to make Margot's transformation feel so grounded. Stay curious about the "New Hollywood" era—it's where the real magic happened.