If you're not acutely aware of this week's release of the latest Quentin Tarantino feature, then there's likely no hope for you. For an opportunity at catching up, complete with major plot point avoidance tactics, look no further than the writer/director's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood-celebrating appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday.
First addressing the traffic-stopping methods along Hollywood Boulevard during the film's production, an understandably enthused Tarantino recalled just how powerful recreating a bygone era of the film industry was for his team.
"That was kind of amazing, frankly," he said. "Shutting it down, you know, that's its own thing. That's really cool. But to shut it down and turn it back into the Hollywood Boulevard of my six-year-old childhood...It was kind of amazing." At one point during filming at this location, he added, one of the bystanders watching the shoot from a distance turned out to be none other than the Aquaman from the nearby TCL Chinese Theatre.
Given the nature of the film, specifics weren't exactly shared in abundance during Tarantino and Kimmel's discussion. However, they did talk a bit about altering history in fiction a la Inglourious Basterds. Looking back on the Hitler-related twist in that 2009 classic, Tarantino said the idea came to him around 4 o'clock in the morning just as he was winding down writing for the day.
"And I finally decided 'Just kill him,'" he said. "So I took a piece of paper and I just wrote on it 'Just effing kill him, alright,' and I put it by my bedside table and I went to bed and when I woke up the next morning I figured I would look at the piece of paper and realize, is it a good idea or a bad idea?"
Upon waking, he determined killing Hitler was indeed a "great idea" and moved forward with that creative liberty in the bag.
Later, Tarantino was once again asked about his pending plans to retire from directing with a "10 and done" filmography.
"That's the idea," he said. "I'm not saying I'll just disappear like J.D. Salinger. I'll be a writer. I haven't been married, I haven't had kids. I just got married, [so] I wanna have kids."
Monday's Kimmel also saw surprise appearances from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Brad Pitt. Naturally, the three utilized this opportunity to playfully interrupt Kimmel's monologue:
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is out Friday. Until then, enjoy this:
