While Leonardo DiCaprio is known as one of the best performers in Hollywood, since his rise to fame with Titanic, it’s his appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood that took people’s breath away. Particularly his rage-fueled trailer freak-out scene as Rick Dalton is what ended up being phenomenal, leaving even his co-star Brad Pitt flabbergasted.
The scene in question took place when Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, being a veteran actor, was having a bad day after he forgot his lines and embarrassed himself while filming the pilot for the new western television show Lancer. That’s when he took a break from the set and entered the trailer to freak out. But while this scene became a crucial moment in Rick’s arc, what’s more stunning is that DiCaprio had totally improvised the sequence on the spot.
Leonardo DiCaprio Improvised His Meltdown Scene as Rick Dalton
Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 movie Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, chronicled the career of struggling actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend/stuntman, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), whose stories intersected with Hollywood starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) in the late 1960s.
Considering the star-studded cast of the movie, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood was hailed by both fans and critics, who deeply appreciated the narrative and performance exhibited by the cast. But among all, it was particularly Leonardo DiCaprio‘s performance that received critical acclaim.
Well, why not? After all, Leonardo DiCaprio pulled through the hilarious meltdown on his character Rick Dalton’s fictional Western set in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Expressing his character’s frustration after forgetting his lines, DiCaprio performed a nice bit of self-flagellation.
Damn it, Rick. I forgot the f*cking lines and embarrass yourself in front of all those godd*mn people. You’re drinking all night, f*cking drinking again…f*cking bullsh*t. You’re a f*cking miserable drunk.
You’re f*cing remembering your f*cking lines. I practiced them and I don’t look like I godd*mn practiced… you’re a f*cking alcoholic, you f*cking drink too much.
But what made the scene with the above-mentioned lines even more appreciative is how Leonardo DiCaprio heavily improvised it from start to finish, with little help from dialogue prompts and ideas from Quentin Tarantino. So believe it or not, all the f*cks he said during that one sequence, followed by his temper tantrum and pity party, was all DiCaprio’s improvisation.
Quentin Tarantino and Brad Pitt Reflected on the Improvised Scene
After such an iconic improv delivery, Leonardo DiCaprio undoubtedly shocked audiences and critics to their core. But what became even more funny was how the seasoned actor managed to leave his co-star Brad Pitt in disbelief after his scene. According to Pitt’s interview with Today, the actor was apparently taken aback by DiCaprio’s performance and skills.
And I will go on record, it is one of the best meltdowns laid on film.
Well, Brad Pitt wasn’t alone in his praise for Leonardo DiCaprio. Joining Pitt during the interview, even Quentin Tarantino and Margot Robbie sang their unanimous praise for DiCaprio. With Robbie calling it “so good”, Tarantino confirmed that it “was all improvised and wasn’t written in the script”.
Meanwhile, fans took to X to express their appreciation for Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance. While praising the star for delivering the hilarious bit of meltdown, netizens went as far as to claim that DiCaprio should have won the Best Actor’s award for his improv scene.
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is currently available to watch on Prime Video.
