Quentin Tarantino Vs. Brad Pitt: Co-star recalls onset fight

A behind-the-scenes clash between Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino on the set of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood has been revealed, and it sounds like it was quite the moment.

The story comes courtesy of Bruce Dern, 89, who played elderly ranch owner George Spahn in the 2019 film and was present when the confrontation unfolded. 

Dern told PEOPLE that the incident occurred during the scene in which Pitt's character Cliff Booth visits the ranch to check on George, a moment that featured one of Dern's signature improvised dialogues, which he cheerfully refers to as a "Dernsie."

Mid-scene, as Dern was doing his thing, Pitt did something that no actor is supposed to do on a Tarantino set. 

He called cut. 

"I'm looking at him. [Pitt] cut the camera," Dern recalled. "The look on Quentin's face, I mean, he was insanely grave, and he said, 'Brad, what did you just do?'"

Tarantino's response was unambiguous. 

"He said, 'Well, I cut the camera.' He said, 'Never again in your life will you ever cut a camera or you'll be dead in this business. That's my domain. Don't stop behavior.'"

Pitt's defence, Dern revealed, was straightforward if not exactly well-received: "All Brad did was say to him, 'Well, that wasn't in the script what he said.'" 

The implication being that Dern's improvisation had thrown him, which, given that a "Dernsie" can apparently happen at any moment, is perhaps understandable, if not forgivable in Tarantino's eyes.

Filming resumed, and Dern delivered a new improvised line for the ages: "I don't know who you are, but you touched me today. You came to visit me, now I gotta go back to sleep." 

Pitt went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role.

Despite the friction on set, the relationship between director and star has clearly survived. 

A source told the Daily Mail that Tarantino ranks among Pitt's favourite directors and that the two share a strong rapport. Representatives for both have been contacted for comment.