Once Upon a Time in Hollywood / Characters

The character page for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

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Hollywood

Fictional Characters

Rick Dalton

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"In this town, it can all change (snap) like that."

Portrayed By: Leonardo DiCaprio

The one-time star of '50s Western serial Bounty Law, Rick Dalton is now a miserable has-been desperately searching for the one thing that can revive his slumping career.

The Alcoholic: A flashback early in the movie shows that Rick has had his license suspended due to multiple DUI arrests, and he nearly blows his role in Lancer due to drinking an excessive amount of whiskey sours the night before.
Anti-Hero:
- Rick is not only a self-pitying alcoholic with Jerkass tendencies, but he specializes in playing this type of character. When he finally agrees to go to Rome to star in spaghetti westerns, his characters are specifically described as anti-heroes, fitting the change in his on-screen perception from heroic lead to villainous "heavy."
- This also extends to Rick's character, Jake Cahill, on Bounty Law — an amoral Bounty Hunter who makes no effort to bring his targets in alive, and in fact describes other bounty hunters who do as "amateurs". Possibly a Take That! to Wanted: Dead or Alive, whose main character Josh Randall (played by Rick's rival, Steve McQueen) preferred to bring his quarries in alive.
Always Someone Better: Rick claims that Steve McQueen beat him out for the lead role in The Great Escape. This is much more emphasized in the novel where the two meet and are in drastically different places despite having similar starts to their careers.
Ax-Crazy: Being under the influence of alcohol can make him dangerously homicidal, as evidenced during the final confrontation.
Beware the Nice Ones: Besides his Jerkass diva tendencies, Rick is otherwise cordial to most people and a genuinely nice guy. However, when Sadie crashes into his pool during the final confrontation while flailing a gun around, he immediately gets out of the pool, goes to his garage, gets out a flamethrower, and roasts her. He is later acquitted of any charges for acting in self-defense against a home invader.
Career Resurrection: The ending implies that he is on his way towards one, as he meets and makes good impression on Sharon Tate and presumably later Polanski.
Chekhov's Skill: Early on in the film, Rick explains how he learned to use a flamethrower during the production of The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey, and he is seen learning to fire the weapon with a weapons trainer. During the final confrontation, he breaks out the flamethrower (which he still had stashed in his garage) and uses it to immolate Sadie, who has crashed into his pool.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He spends most of the movie as a drunken, whiny, has-been diva of an actor who practically has to be babysat by Cliff. He even fails to notice the cultists attacking his house because he's listening to music. Then Sadie Atkins falls into his pool, and Rick brings out the flamethrower.
Deadly Distant Finale: Quentin Tarantino posted on Twitter in May 19, 2023 that Dalton died, aged 90, in his house in Hawaii. He kept working as an actor until the end of The '80s and remained married to Francesca to the end.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Rick drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney, to such an extent that the latter vice is shown to be giving him a bad cough and negatively impacting his health. Despite this, he stars in an ad for Red Apple Cigarettes and otherwise endorses the lifestyle. In the post-credits scene, he displays annoyance while shooting one of the commercials during his Bounty Law days, reflecting the changing attitudes towards television advertising for cigarettes, which were banned in 1970. However, it's not that he personally has any issues with cigarette commercials in general — he just hates the taste of Red Apple and thinks the promotional standee makes him look ugly.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: On the set of Lancer, Rick tells Trudi the plot of a book he is reading, in which a fading bronco buster has to come to terms with not being the best anymore. He suddenly realizes how much the story mirrors his own life and starts crying. This may also count as a subversion, as several of the elements of the story, including the cowboy being injured in the leg, are later shown happening to Cliff. This is made even more noticeable when Rick explains the plot about the cowboy as Cliff walks through the commune at the Spahn Ranch, which looks like an old-time Western town.
Earn Your Happy Ending: While Rick isn't able to make a massive comeback or kick his alcoholism, he is able to prove his chops as an actor and reclaim his self-worth, and seems to genuinely love his wife Francesca. He also prevents the Manson murders along with Cliff and might have a shot at future stardom by getting to know the neighbor he inadvertently saved, Sharon Tate.
The Face: While Cliff has burned nearly every bridge for himself in Hollywood, Rick is good at schmoozing and liked enough within the industry that he's still able to secure stunt work for him. It's a fitting way of counterbalancing his reliance on Cliff as his stunt double.
Fantastic Racism: He really, really, really HATES hippies. He takes every opportunity to talk shit about and to them, and gleefully immolates the last Manson cultist in his pool. Hopefully that won't strain his newfound friendship with Sharon, given that...she's basically a hippie herself.
Gilligan Cut: During Rick's breakdown in his trailer, he tells his reflection that he needs to stop drinking or he will blow his own brains out. The scene immediately cuts to him taking a swig out of his flask before realizing what he just did and hurling it out the door like a live grenade.
The Gunslinger: Rick specializes in playing these characters, and many of the shows and films he appears in feature them. In the end, when Rick approaches the frenzied Sadie, she suddenly spins and points her revolver right at Rick, but he beats her to the trigger and incinerates her before she can fire.
Happily Married: Dalton's marriage to Francesca looked like a rocky fling during the events of the film (when they were only a few weeks married), but according to Quentin Tarantino's Tweet announcing Rick's death aged 90 in 2023, they remained together.
Headphones Equal Isolation: Rick is floating in the backyard pool wearing headphones blasting music on the fateful night of August 8th, meaning he completely misses the home invasion until Sadie crashes through the window and lands in the pool next to him.
The Heavy: Discussed by producer Marvin Schwarz, who fears Rick is on a career slump by increasingly playing this character on TV to prop up the latest network stars.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Cliff. A bit of narration even describes the two as more than brothers, but a little less than married.
Hidden Depths: Though Rick's issues and destructive lifestyle are highlighted, he does take his job seriously. When he uses a flamethrower for a role in a movie, he takes the time to learn how to operate it safely, and when he lands the role in Lancer, he's seen rehearsing lines for it in his downtime. Part of why he's so upset with himself over flubbing them is that he really was trying even as his addictions were throwing him off. (Most notably, he's embarrassed because, despite him putting in the time and practicing, his flubbing makes it look to his co-stars like he hadn't practiced.) He is also seen by many as a genuinely talented actor, and proves it when given the chance, with his co-stars and Sam Wanamaker being stunned by his performance as Caleb DeCoteau.
Hilarious Outtakes: During the credits, Rick is seen filming an ad for Red Apple cigarettes during his Bounty Law days, during which he praises the company and the flavor of the cigarettes. As soon as the camera stops rolling, he starts bitterly complaining about how horrible the cigarettes taste and how the cardboard cutout of him has a double chin.
I Am Not Spock: In-universe, Rick has trouble escaping his persona as "Jack Cahill" from Bounty Law. His subsequent work as a special guest villain on other shows doesn't help; as Schwarz points out, the story might concern a young hero beating up an experienced villain, but what the audience sees are new cowboys (and other TV heroes) kicking Jack Cahill's ass. The new TV pilot in which we see Rick actually act still casts him as a heavy, but subtly averts this; the costuming and design gives Rick a different look than he usually has, and the director specifically tells him that this role needs "Rick Dalton the actor, not Jack Cahill".
Imagine Spot: Rick imagines himself in the lead role of The Great Escape when asked about how he nearly got cast, and we see a scene from the film with Leonardo DiCaprio green-screened in for Steve McQueen.
Incurable Cough of Death: Played with. Rick has a heavy smoking habit and a persistent bad cough that he just can't seem to shake, with the implication that the two are connected being clear. However, it's never really made an issue of or discussed, and we never see him diagnosed with anything.
Intergenerational Friendship: Also counts as an Odd Friendship: a depressed, alcoholic, borderline-suicidal has-been regularly typecast as The Heavy in Westerns near instantly forges a famous friendship with adorably precocious and stoic child actor Trudi Fraser. It's arguably the best thing to happen to him.
It Will Never Catch On: Rick is dismissive of Martin's offer to star in a Spaghetti Western, because he thinks it'll do his fading career more harm than good. This is Truth in Television for the era, when most of Hollywood dismissed the genre as cheap foreign knockoffs of "true" American Westerns.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Rick is a temperamental, alcoholic Manchild, but he genuinely cares about Cliff and stands by him when no one else will. Despite it seeming like he takes advantage of him at first, Rick stands up for Cliff despite the cloud of alleged murder hanging over his head, keeps him paid and on call as his driver/handyman, and goes out of his way to find work for him even as his own career falters. Then, on the set of Lancer, Rick quickly bonds with his younger co-star Trudi — tellingly, his first reaction after throwing her to the ground in a scene (a late addition to the script which was Rick's idea) is immediately checking to see if she's okay (which she is, as wardrobe added padding under her dress).
Killing in Self-Defense: The ending has Rick get off scot-free for his actions in the finale by the police, after incinerating Sadie with the flamethrower that was stashed in his garage. This is because of a California law that permits residents to use extreme methods to defend their property in the event that it is attacked.
Large Ham: Rick's performance in the World War II film The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey. The titular character is a Hollywood Action Hero who kills scores of Nazis while Chewing the Scenery.
Rick: [as McCluskey] ANYBODY ORDER FRIED SAUERKRAUT?! BURN, YOU NAZI BASTARDS! HAHAHAHAHA!
Mean Character, Nice Actor: His most famous role is as Jake Cahill, a ruthless Anti-Hero with no qualms about killing for profit, and by the time the movie begins his career consists primarily of doing guest spots as villains on other TV shows. Despite this, Rick, while far from perfect, is shown to be an overall decent guy who makes an effort to get along with everybody he meets (provided they aren't a hippie, at least).
Method Acting: Downplayed, as he typically adheres to the script and keeps his masks separate...if he can pull himself together enough to do just that. But when he really gets into a role, he embodies his character down to the bone.
Mood-Swinger: Rick has very volatile mood swings, able to go from happy to a complete wreck within moments. Di Caprio was reportedly instructed to play Rick as an undiagnosed Bipolar Disorder which he self medicates with alcohol, cigarettes and occasionally drugs.
Mr. Vice Guy: Rick is a self-absorbed alcoholic who smokes like a chimney and is prone to excessive bouts of self-pity, but he's also shown to be an all-around affable guy who sincerely values his friendship with Cliff and takes his work as an actor seriously (and is genuinely talented at it), which allows him to maintain the audience's sympathy regardless.
MST: In-Universe. Rick and Cliff sit down and watch an episode of the TV series The F.B.I., drinking beer and mocking the episode (which has Rick starring as that week's Special Guest villain).
Mugging the Monster: The incapacitated, mauled, and nearly-drowned Sadie runs into Rick, who is lounging in his pool — and also has convenient access to a working flamethrower, which he uses to incinerate her as she thrashes around in the pool.
My God, What Have I Done?: Rick absolutely loses it on the set of Lancer after he flubs his lines and returns to his trailer, blaming himself for drinking "ten whiskey sours" the night before and smashing furniture. However, he eventually regains his composure and elects to do better, rehearsing his lines until he's called back for shooting.
My Greatest Failure: Prior to the start of the film, Rick abandoned his lucrative television career in hopes of becoming an action star in movies. After his movie career quickly flamed out, Rick found the television acting scene had also left him behind. At best, he can only get cast as special guest villains in other people's shows.
Never Live It Down: On the set of Lancer, Rick is asked to tell the story of how he was "almost" cast as the lead in The Great Escape. He hates telling this story, and is clearly uncomfortable doing it.
- The novel expands on this, saying he gets asked about it constantly whenever working on a new job. At a wrap party for the pilot, Rick finally snaps back, going into detail about how there was no realistic way anyone but Steve McQueen was getting that part, and how there was no shortage of actors who would've been asked before him.
- He's also still held in low regard by some fans and producers for getting Bounty Law cancelled and allowing the quality to noticeably decline due to his focus on his film career.
Old Shame: He describes his short-lived movie career as "rinky-dink", and shows slight embarassment when Marvin Schwarz reveals that he watched two of his films before meeting with him. He also implies that he isn't satisfied with how the final season of Bounty Law turned out, and alludes to having phoned in his performance throughout it due to being more focused on working in movies at the time.
Pet the Dog: When first introduced as a faded star with a drinking problem, Rick comes across as someone who could be a real asshole in his private life. However, when he goes above and beyond in convincing Randy to give Cliff a shot at a stunt gig, it shows that, for whatever his faults, he's a good friend.
Politically Incorrect Hero: He really doesn't like hippies, and has a dim view of the Italian movie-making scene even after he does a quartet of films in Rome. He also ad-libs a line including a racial slur, but as he was in character as a villain, it doesn't reflect his actual feelings.
Prone to Tears: Rick cries three times during the movie: first when he's worrying about his career, later when he's identifying with the protagonist of a Western novel (a bronco buster who can no longer do his job due to a debilitating injury), and finally during his Tears of Joy scene after the filming of Lancer is completed.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Chatty, temperamental Rick Dalton is the red oni to Cliff Booth's stoic and polite blue.
Running Gag: People recognizing Rick from his work on Bounty Law. This later becomes a Chekhov's Gun when the Manson acolytes realize who he is and opt to attack his house instead, under the belief that they need to kill the actor who inspired them to kill.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Rick and Cliff, though Rick only fits the sensitive slot by comparison with the ultra-macho Cliff, being still a traditionally-masculine, hard-drinking, hippie-hating action movie star (though one prone to bouts of crying and self-pity).
Spanner in the Works: He becomes this during the final act, unintentionally thwarting the Manson acolytes as they stake out Cielo Drive. By doing so, he creates an Alternate Timeline where the attackers elect to attack his home instead, are thwarted by both Cliff and himself, and ultimately leading to Sharon, Jay, and the other guests at the Polanski residence being spared, with them eventually showing up to have a drink with Rick at the end of the film.
Speech Impediment: He suffers from a stutter when nervous, but is able to keep it in check in front of the cameras.
Still Got It: The entire focus of his Character Development is to help him convince himself that he's still very much this trope. He suffers from depression, bipolar episodes, lack of confidence, alcoholism, and severe self-loathing, afraid that he's nothing more than a Jaded Washout and a stepping stone for other actors to claim greatness. After he bonds with Trudi, and puts on a performance that results in everyone in the cast and crew giving him applause, he cries Tears of Joy, finally confident enough to know that, yep, he's still got it.
This Is Going to Be Huge: A Running Gag throughout the film has Rick being enthusiastic about having Roman Polanski as a neighbor, predicting that he could be one social call away from making an impression on the director and landing a juicy role. Everyone at all familiar with the Manson Family will know that the Polanski home will soon be hit by a tragedy that will destroy that opportunity. But it's subverted in the end, when Tate and company survive the night, and Rick gets invited over to the house, suggesting that he might just land a gig on a Polanski movie in the future.
Throw It In!: In-Universe. Rick ad-libs several lines during the climactic confrontation of the pilot episode of Lancer, even throwing Trudi to the ground at one point. Both Trudi (who had been outfitted with protective gear for the shoot) and the director are so impressed with Rick's actions that they compliment him after filming is completed.
Undying Loyalty: Rick refuses to believe that Cliff killed his wife and continues to support him even when Cliff has been blacklisted by Hollywood. This loyalty is tragically revealed to be misguided in the novelisation, where we learn that Cliff did indeed kill her.
What Could Have Been: In-universe. Rick tells James Stacy that he was in the running for a short while as the lead star of The Great Escape before Steve McQueen took the role. Rick plays this off as unimportant, but his recollection of the time could be interpreted as suggesting he briefly had the lead role and even shot footage for it, with Dalton in-character during an early scene (though it's more likely an Imagine Spot).
Where Are They Now: Word of God is that Dalton would indeed have a Career Resurrection, with him having a Misaimed Fandom of Nixon's Silent Majority seeing Jake Cahill using his flamethrower from The Fourteen Fists of McCluskey to kill the Manson Family hippies. He would also stay married to Francesca despite Cliff's unspoken doubts. He would eventually retire and live out his remaining years with Francesca in Hawaii. He also got a late-in-life resurgence in popularity, as he had a Big Name Fan in Quentin Tarantino himself, who met him and would host a festival of his movies.
White-Dwarf Starlet: Rick himself seems to think of himself as this, living in an expensive home surrounded by mementos from his past and largely being remembered from a decade-old series. This opinion is even reinforced by Marvin Schwarz, who claims that Dalton has been typecast as an older villain who gets beaten by younger, more bankable male action heroes. At the end of the film, however, he's gotten a few decent gigs in Europe, and it's implied that Dalton will get an in-universe Career Resurrection, as Jay Sebring and Sharon invite him up to their house for a drink, suggesting he may land a role in their next film. It's also made clear that he's still well respected by both old fans and other actors, with Jim Stacy and Sam Wanamaker both delighted to work with him.

Cliff Booth

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"Anybody accidentally kills anybody in a fight, they go to jail. It's called manslaughter."

Portrayed By: Brad Pitt

Dubbed By: Jean-Pierre Michaël (European French)

A Stunt Double who works for Rick Dalton on the set of various productions, and has remained close friends with him over the years.

Ambiguous Situation: The death of Cliff's wife. It is left up in the air whether or not Cliff murdered his wife or if it was just an accident. Cliff was charged but acquitted for the incident. Many people in universe assume that he really did it, presuming his guilt, and explaining their disbelief of such on screen. Most notably, we see a flashback of Cliff being berated by his wife on a boat, with an (unloaded) speargun in his lap pointed at her, but the scene cuts away before anything happens. It's ultimately left ambiguous what happened.
- Averted in the novelization, which reveals that Cliff did spear his wife, although he immediately felt guilty about it and kept her alive as long as he could.
AM/FM Characterization: The novelisation reveals that he's a Tom Jones fan, especially of the song "Delilah," because as Tarantino states, "Cliff is partial to songs about guys who kill their women".
Always a Bigger Fish: Special Forces war veteran and stunt double versus a trio of intoxicated hippies who have never been in combat or even so much as a real fight? No contest.
Anti-Hero: Cliff is usually a Nice Guy, but the fights with Bruce Lee shows he has no patience for bullshit whilst remaining relatively calm but dangerous, which makes it plausible that he might have killed his wife.
The Atoner: It's possible, but unconfirmed, that the death of his wife (whether it was intentional or not) is part of the reason why he goes so utterly ballistic on the attacking Manson family members at the end.
Badass Driver: A lot of attention is drawn to Cliff simply driving around Hollywood in vintage cars. And it's cool.
Bait-and-Switch: At the end of the film, after Sadie grabs the revolver and starts firing wildly around the room, Cliff faceplants, suggesting that he's been shot and is possibly dead. Afterwards, he's fully conscious and in no immediate medical emergency, suggesting that he simply collapsed as a belated reaction to the previous, non-critical stab wound.
Beware the Nice Ones:
- Cliff responds pleasantly (if slightly forcefully) when he discovers that the commune has slashed one of his tires during the trip to Spahn Ranch, and orders Clem to fix it. When the latter refuses and laughs at him, Cliff brutally hits him several times, warns all of the female members to stay back or else he'll punch out Clem's teeth, and orders him to fix the tire under threat of additional violence.
- The same thing happens in the finale, when the acid-tripping Cliff encounters the three acolytes and starts laughing in his fever high. Upon realizing that they're not being taken seriously, Sadie orders Tex to shoot, leading Cliff to order Brandy to attack Tex. What results is a There Is No Kill Like Overkill sequence where Cliff and Brandy (and eventually Rick) absolutely destroy the attacking party.
- When confronted by Bruce Lee on the set of The Green Hornet, Cliff attempts to ease the tension by clarifying he doesn’t really want any trouble from Lee. Lee doesn’t heed his warning, and winds up learning just how formidable and brutal Booth is in a fight, leading to a draw before any victor can be decided. However, this may just be a self-serving revision of what actually happened.
- The novelisation reveals, despite his jovial attitude, what can happen if you really piss him off. He has no problem murdering anyone who really gets under his skin, and has killed four people (including his wife) since returning from the war; the other three being two gangsters in the fifties and the previous owner of his beloved dog Brandy.
Blood Knight: He’s a war veteran with a great deal of skill in combat. He also relishes the opportunity to spar with Bruce Lee, showing that he loves a good fight.
Boring, but Practical:
- Cliff's fighting style isn't flashy, but it's very efficient and more than good enough to keep pace with Bruce Lee. Considering a throwaway line from Rick identifying him as a war hero, he likely learned to fight in the military.
- In the climax, Cliff never throws a true punch despite his strength and size advantage, instead improvising ways to inflict lethal head trauma — a full can of dog food, a stomp to the face on a door threshold and smashing a much smaller person's head into several rigid objects, respectively.
Bullying a Dragon: Clem apparently assumed Cliff wouldn't retaliate after slashing his tire at the commune. He did not expect Cliff to flatten him with a single punch, nor did he expect him to beat him badly and humiliate him in front of the rest of the Family.
- Bruce Lee challenging him to an exhibition match on set also counts.
Combat Pragmatist: Cliff does this on several occasions, making use of hitting a person's vulnerable points and using whatever he's got at his disposal.
Convicted by Public Opinion: Cliff is suspected to have killed his wife, but was never convicted. Despite this, everyone in the film business thinks he's guilty, and many refuse to work with him.
- In the novelisation, it's revealed that he did kill her, but despite his insistence that it was an accident, everybody in Hollywood knows that his wife was a total bitch and that Cliff has a very short fuse, so it wasn't exactly hard for them to put two and two together.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Cliff is very unassuming and easygoing, but he regularly shows himself to be a lot more aware of what is going on and calculated than you would expect. He seems to let Bruce Lee get the first hit before slamming him into a car. Even his dog, Brandy, seems just a lovable lapdog. In the climax, while high on acid, he absentmindedly mocks the three attackers before handily taking them out, only being knocked unconscious as a delayed reaction to a knife wound to the leg.
- He also reacts with surprise to hearing Pussycat is “living” at Spahn Ranch, and gives her a lift as a pretense to investigate out of concern for George Spahn’s safety.
- In an extended scene, Cliff is shown to immediately pin Charles Manson as a potential threat when he rolls up to the Polanski house, continuing to watch him like a hawk until he leaves, and is unfazed by Manson’s bizarre outburst when he refuses to wave back.
Curb-Stomp Battle:
- After Steve "Clem" Grogan stabs a tire on Rick's car and refuses to replace it with the spare, Cliff proceeds to pound the tar out of him until he acquiesces.
- During the final fight, Cliff effortlessly dismantles the three Manson Family members. He only takes one hit due to being distracted, and still manages to take down his opponent despite being drunk and high. He also literally curb-stomps Tex by using a door frame.
Deuteragonist: While Cliff gets co-lead billing alongside Rick, it's Rick whose character arc is at the center of the narrative. This makes sense, as it's Cliff's job as Rick's stunt double to support him while staying out of the limelight.
Dissonant Serenity: He's calm throughout most of the house invasion, at least in part due to the LSD.
Drink-Based Characterization: Cliff is shown drinking Bloody Marys in multiple scenes. His wife was enjoying one when she died, suggesting that he hasn't gotten over her death.
Drives Like Crazy: To a certain extent, and given his career as a stuntman, Cliff is shown pulling off fancy (and dangerous) maneuvers behind the wheel at several points during the film.
End of an Age: The events of the film suggest that Cliff and Rick's working partnership is coming to an end, as the latter admits that he will have to let the former go (because he can't pay him anymore) after the Time Skip. They decide to have one last hurrah as best friends, go out drinking at their favorite restaurant, and hang out the rest of the night before parting ways. The ending of the film doesn't resolve it one way or the other, with Cliff either forgetting or deliberately withholding the directions to the hospital after he is injured, and Rick promising to visit the next day before Sharon and Jay invite him up for a drink.
Extreme Mêlée Revenge: During the climax, against Patricia, after she stabs him in the hip with a knife. He proceeds to smash her face against every available blunt surface in the house, reducing her to a bloody pulp.
From Camouflage to Criminal: Possibly. He is a war veteran who displays a great deal of combat prowess, but he only really qualifies as a criminal if he did indeed murder his wife, and we are never given a straight answer on that.
- Averted in the novelisation, where we are told that he has actually murdered four people (including his wife) since returning home from the war, making him fall squarely under this.
Good Old Fisticuffs: He effectively uses simple deflection techniques against Bruce Lee's fancy kicks during their fight in the production lot.
Henpecked Husband: Seen in a flashback where Cliff is ridiculed mercilessly by his (drunk) wife while they're sitting on a boat at sea, and he silently goes about his business. The end of the scene leaves it ambiguous on whether he reached his limit and murdered her. As the novelization reveals, he did.
Heroes Love Dogs: When Cliff goes back to his tiny trailer, the first thing that happens is him being lovingly attacked by his pitbull Brandy.
Hidden Depths: The novelization reveals that Cliff is quite intelligent despite his unassuming manner and lifestyle, and is much more of a movie buff than Rick, an actual actor — for instance, while Rick is uninterested in films made outside Hollywood, Cliff is interested in foreign films such as those by Akira Kurosawa, and appreciates the political themes of I Am Curious (Yellow), then best known for its controversial portrayal of nudity and sex.
Humble Hero: When not hanging out with Rick in the big Hollywood mansion, he lives modestly in a run-down trailer park with his dog Brandy. Even though he has every right to be envious of his more successful friend, he is completely content with his life.
Hyper-Competent Sidekick: He's a key character in the movie, as he helps facilitate Rick's heroic deeds by playing the physical parts in the many shows he's appeared in. This even extends to the climax of the film, when the acid-tripping Cliff still retains enough lucidity and capability to effortlessly dismantle the attackers, with the only surviving one left being left in such an injured state she might very well have died from her injuries before Rick immolated her with a flamethrower.
Hypocrite: Despite his above quote, he really did kill someone "accidentally", and did not go to jail.
Immune to Drugs: Subverted in the finale — Cliff is feeling the effects of LSD (not to mention the alcohol he drank earlier), but it doesn't dull his combat senses enough to stop him from routing the Manson Family, effortlessly dismantling and killing two of the attackers in the process.
Let's Get Dangerous!: Cliff's combat abilities are shown in passing several times, and he initially seems to laugh off the three attackers who show up to assault the house in the finale. It's only when Tex performs the Dramatic Gun Cock that Cliff decides all bets are off, and proceeds to utterly ruin their day with a series of brutal takedowns, using whatever he can find in the environment, his feet, his dog, and a can of dog food.
Major Injury Underreaction: Cliff is stabbed in the hip, and has no immediate reaction besides tapping the handle of the blade in confusion. He doesn't collapse from the injury until after he's made his attacker pay for it. Justified, as he was drunk and high at the time, and likely was running on adrenaline.
Mr. Fanservice: He gets an extended Shirtless Scene while fixing Rick's TV antenna near the start of the movie.
Mundane Utility: Cliff's skills as a stuntman come in handy when Rick asks him to repair the TV antenna on his roof. He effortlessly leaps and jumps up to the roof with the ease of someone half his age, even balancing on the fence at one point.
My God, What Have I Done?: The official novelisation reveals that Cliff actually did kill his wife on their boat with the speargun, but he regretted it immediately after and proceeded to spend the next several hours trying to keep her alive until the coast guard came. She didn't make it, and despite his shame, he decided to make up a story about it being an accident rather than go to prison.
Mysterious Past: Cliff's origins and the root of his quietly violent and dysfunctional nature are rather obscure.
Nice Guy: Despite his shortcomings and questionable past, Cliff is undeniably a very good friend to Rick. He's endlessly supportive, genuinely enjoys his company, and is willing to do any job for him without complaint.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's heavily based on real-life stuntman and martial artist Gene Le Bell, including having a fight with Bruce Lee.
Noodle Incident: The death of Cliff's wife is never explicitly shown, and it is a question left unresolved. The flashback seems to suggest that Cliff may have killed her with a harpoon gun... except the gun isn't loaded in wide shots of Cliff holding the weapon. The last thing the audience sees before the flashback ends is a close shot on Cliff's face as a wave hits in the background, suggesting that she may have fallen overboard and drowned, but no confirmation is given either way. That is, until the novelisation changed that, where it's revealed that he did actually shoot and kill her with the gun. He immediately regretted it though.
Not So Stoic: Sometimes Cliff’s cool and collected demeanor cracks, usually if something amuses him enough or he gets genuinely pissed.
- Cliff can’t help but smile and scoff at Bruce Lee’s claims of his fighting prowess being comparable to Muhammad Ali.
- When Cliff sees Pussycat and finally offers her a ride, only to see her maniacally shriek at a cop car passing by, he can’t help but chuckle to himself and shake his head.
- Cliff seems genuinely spooked by Squeaky and the whole vibe of the Manson crew at Spahn Ranch at first
- Cliff gets genuinely pissed when Clem Grogan slashes his (well, Rick’s) car tires. He’s still collected, but the shift in tone from easy-going to dead serious is pretty clear.
- Cliff giggles wildly while high on acid and faced with Tex’s pistol, finding the fact that he isn’t hallucinating Tex at all very funny.
- In a deleted scene, after Manson visits the Polanski house and is turned away, he does a strange scat-singing/kung fu dance to Cliff, watching from the roof of Rick’s place, and flips him off. After Manson leaves, Cliff is at a loss for words and genuinely confused at the bizarre encounter.
Pet the Dog: While he is introduced as a decent guy and good friend to Rick, it's slowly revealed he has some issues with getting into fights and is suspected of having killed his wife, which have made him a pariah in the film biz. That said, when he goes home, he has a loving pitbull waiting for him, showing that he's probably a decent guy at heart.
- Literally done in the novelisation, where it's revealed that he rescued Brandy from a sleazy asshole who owed Cliff money, and who planned to put an injured Brandy in an illegal dog fight and bet on the other dog to win in order to pay off that debt. Rather than get the money he was owed, Cliff snapped the bastard's neck and dumped the body, adopting Brandy as his own.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Chatty, temperamental Rick is the red oni to Cliff Booth's stoic and polite blue. Subverted in that Cliff is widely feared and disliked throughout Hollywood for allegedly killing his wife, and unleashes holy hell on the Manson family in the climax, though he's still calm when he does it.
Riches to Rags: Downplayed, with a flashback suggesting that Cliff owned a boat around the time of his wife's death. As the events of the film begins, his earning power has been diminished (with Rick being the only actor in Hollywood who appears to be giving him work), and he is living out of a small trailer behind a drive-in theater with his dog.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: To Rick, though Rick only fits the sensitive slot by comparison with the ultra-macho Cliff.
Silver Fox: Although his hair isn't actually silver, he's well into his 50s, and is played by perennial Hollywood sex symbol Brad Pitt. Along with getting a Shirtless Scene, he's shown to have no trouble catching the eye of the young and pretty Pussycat.
Sociopathic Hero: Cliff certainly qualifies. He was accused, though acquitted, of killing his wife, and isn't visibly bothered that half of Hollywood regards him with fear or derision. Taken to extremes at the climax, when he absolutely destroys the three Manson family members in Rick's home and spends a minute smashing in Patricia Krenwinkel's face, although admittedly he was high on acid, which probably made him respond more violently than normal. Also, he did actually kill his wife, as revealed in the novelization, but he did at least regret it afterwards.
Sympathetic Murderer: The novelization confirms he did kill his wife, but it was a heat of the moment act during an argument, and he attempted for hours to save her life afterwards.
The Stoic: Despite having to deal with hippie cultists, martial arts legends, and Hollywood producers, Cliff is rarely more than slightly bemused.
Tranquil Fury: During the climax, when Patricia smiles at him after stabbing him in the hip, he responds by smashing her head into every single surface he can find, reducing her face to red paste before looking at the remnants impassively and shoving her away.
Underestimating Badassery:
- At the Spahn Ranch, Clem bullies Cliff by flattening his tire, apparently believing that the vastly-outnumbered Cliff will have no recourse but to limp away home. It turns out Cliff has other ideas.
- The Manson family have no idea who Cliff is, but clearly see him as a simple victim to toy with. Big mistake.
- Bruce Lee thinks he'll easily defeat Cliff in their sparring match, but quickly finds otherwise.
- In the novelisation, Cliff has an encounter with two gangsters in a pizza parlour in Cleveland during The '50s while dating the mistress of an Italian mob boss. As he's just one man, they seriously underestimate how much of a threat he is, and proceed to insult and threaten him even after learning that he is a war hero responsible for dozens upon dozens of enemy kills. They both get a bullet in the head (courtesy of Cliff) for their short-sightedness.
Unreliable Narrator: The flashback to the incident where Cliff fought Bruce Lee and got fired from the set of The Green Hornet is the only one in the film framed as a character's recollection in-universe. It also happens to include several clues to the fact that Cliff's memories of the event are skewed, most prominent among them the fact that if Cliff had really slammed Bruce against Janet's car hard enough to do the kind of damage to the car seen onscreen, it would've broken Lee's back. When we see Lee training or rehearsing scenes with other actors later, he comes off as far friendlier than Cliff's recollection paints him.
Villain Killer: Kills two members of the Manson Family, Katie and Tex.
War Hero: He's described in those words by Rick and his considerable hand-to-hand skills back the claim up. Which war isn't specified in the movie, but in the novelization it is World War II, in the Pacific theater.
Worf Had the Flu: By the time the final confrontation starts, Cliff is high off an acid-dipped cigarette he decided to enjoy. Ultimately subverted, as this doesn't stop him from effortlessly mopping the floor with the three attackers, only suffering a hip wound he seems to shrug off afterwards.
Would Hit a Girl: During the final act, after Patricia stabs him in the hip with her knife via surprise attack, he responds by smashing her into every surface he can find.

Marvin Schwarz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12208f70_ce15_4922_8fb4_763d2a479ba4.jpeg

"I love that stuff, you know, with the killing."

Portrayed By: Al Pacino

Dubbed By: José Luccioni (European French)

A Hollywood producer and admirer of Rick Dalton's.

Accidental Misnaming: He has to remind Rick that his last name is pronounced without a "T" sound.
Brutal Honesty: Marvin doesn't mince words when laying out how Rick's career is in a tailspin, though his criticism is constructive rather than pejorative and it's preceded by genuine praise for Rick's work.
Chekhov's Gunman: He gives Rick the idea to act in a Spaghetti Western as a way to jumpstart his flagging career. Midway through the film, as Cliff and Rick are sitting down to watch an episode of The F.B.I., Marvin gets on the phone to a producer to give Rick a referral, thus setting up the Time Skip.
Cool Old Guy: Bluntness about Rick's career aside, he's a very charming and friendly older guy who sincerely likes Rick, personally and as an actor, and even his blunt assessment of Rick's career is done with an honest belief that his advice is the best thing for Rick. He's also played by Al Pacino, which makes him cool by default.
Large Ham: It's a given when you're played by Al Pacino.
Nice Guy: He takes the time to watch several of Rick's performances before meeting him, and praises his work in each with enough detail and enthusiasm that you can tell he means every word. And while he brutally outlines the downward spiral Rick's career is going in, he does so constructively rather than out of malice. He also offers Rick an in to the Italian film industry, which eventually proves to be the right move for him.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He effortlessly lays out Rick's career prospects in the first proper scene of the film, explaining that Rick's roles as a bad guy have led him to be typecast, acting as a glorified punching bag for newer, younger male heroes. Unlike most examples of this trope, he doesn't deliver the speech with anger or malice; he's just stating the facts, and it's shown he does genuinely like Rick and honestly thinks he's giving him the best advice for his career.
Unabashed B-Movie Fan: He tells Rick this, explaining that he likes to watch Rick's older films at home with his wife in their private theatre.

Trudi Fraser

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5b9a1938_12b3_44b7_864d_e95f8c529916.jpeg

Portrayed By: Julia Butters

An eight-year-old actor with whom Rick shares a scene in the pilot episode of the TV series Lancer.

Adorably Precocious Child: She talks extensively about Method Acting, and even states she prefers to be called an actor because "actress doesn't make sense." She's actually pretty sweet when they get into a deeper conversation. The adorability rises and rises, as does her precociousness... culminating in a scene her and Rick share.
Consummate Professional: She skips lunch in order to ensure she'll give a strong performance, and stays in character the entire time she's on set, even refusing to give out her real name. Her dedication to her craft seems to have a serious impact on Rick.
Crazy-Prepared: Despite her youth, she insists on doing stunts herself, and even has padding in her costume, which comes in quite handy during a tense scene that Rick improvises.
Insistent Terminology: She pointedly refuses to use the term "actress", as she feels it is not a real word.
Little Professor Dialogue: She was plenty of it, to the point that she seems more mature than Rick during their conversation.
Nice Girl: Despite her no-nonsense professionalism, she is as sweet as can be, and is arguably the best influence on Rick in possibly years.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: A fairly transparent pastiche of Jodie Foster, who was about the same age at the time and whose earliest roles (dating from about this time) included several appearances in television Westerns.
- The novelization elaborates on this, noting that she is nominated three times for an Oscar, for supporting roles in Ordinary People (a role taken by Elizabeth McGovern in real life, although said performance did not get nominated in real life) and Agnes of God (replacing Meg Tilly — who, like Fraser, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and won a Golden Globe). Her third and also unsuccessful nomination is for a lead role in a (fictitious) remake of the crime film The Lady In Red...directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Wise Beyond Their Years: Played with; in some ways, she has an incredibly sober-minded adult approach to her career and her craft, apparently having spent more time thinking about it in her eight years of life than Rick has in his decades-long career. On the other hand, it's made clear that she's still an eight-year-old girl as prone as any to getting excited over things like Disney cartoons and getting to do stunts.

Randy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9682dccb_7a86_4d72_9dae_3891bd3f7189.png

"You still with Rick, eh?"

Portrayed By: Kurt Russell

A veteran stunt coordinator and an old friend of Rick and Cliff.

Actor Allusion: He's a stunt coordinator, and Kurt Russell played Stuntman Mike in Tarantino's Death Proof.
Henpecked Husband: He's implied to be this to Janet, whose words he repeats and whose judgmental attitude towards Cliff he shares.
Lemony Narrator: Randy occasionally narrates the film, often to add in snarky commentary and fill in the audience on what happened during events they were not shown.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite his distrust of Cliff, he allows Cliff to work on his shoot as a favor to Rick. It's only when Cliff gets in a fight with Bruce Lee and damages Janet's car that Randy throws him off the set.

Francesca Capucci

Portrayed By: Lorenza Izzo

Rick Dalton's brand-new Italian wife whom he met while abroad filming Spaghetti Westerns.

Bilingual Dialogue: She usually only speaks in her native Italian, having only two lines in English, but seems to understand English alright. The problem is, no one seems to understand her in Italian, and it's never made clear how Rick (who isn't shown to be particularly fluent in Italian) can communicate with her in the first place.
Defiant Captive: Despite being held hostage at one point, she seizes an opportunity to punch her captor when she has the chance.
Designated Girl Fight: Defied — during the final confrontation, Francesca turns on Patricia and knocks her down with a solid punch, suggesting that she's not as harmless as she appears. Despite this, she flees at the first opportunity and takes refuge in her bedroom, only opening the door briefly to let Brandy in with her.
Happily Married: Despite the age gap, she and Rick are visibly happy with one another, and Tarantino confirmed they were married for the rest of their lives until Rick passed away at 90.
"Hey, You!" Haymaker: She hits Patricia in the face during the final confrontation, though she flees to safety directly afterwards.
Lovable Coward: She quickly takes refuge during the home invasion and leaves, dispatching the invaders to Cliff, which is understandable given that she is a normal civilian and Cliff is a war hero and stuntman. She nevertheless remains likable.
Motor Mouth: At the very end of the film, when she's explaining what happened when the Manson acolytes busted in, in rapid-fire Italian, to the confusion of a cop questioning her.
Rambunctious Italian: She's quite emotional and hot-tempered.
Satellite Love Interest: She's nice enough, loud, and very Italian. She serves as a physical catalyst for Cliff and Rick to come to grips with the times changing.
Trophy Wife: While this appears to be the case at first, given her and Rick's noticeable age gap, it's ultimately averted in their interactions. Francesca and Rick chat enthusiastically on the car ride back to his Beverly Hills home, and the moment Rick regains his composure after roasting Susan Atkins alive, he runs back inside in a panic to check on her.

Brandy

Portrayed By: Sayuri, Cerberus, and Siren

Cliff's pitbull.

Angry Guard Dog: She's affectionate and well-behaved but she lives up to her breed's reputation of being downright vicious during the climactic battle with the Manson Family members.
Badass Adorable: Brandy is a cute and lovable dog, but she will brutally maul anyone who threatens her owner.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's shown to be affectionate, well-trained, and obedient. In fact, she's a well-trained attack dog who badly mauls two of the three Manson Family members when they break into Rick's house.
Big Friendly Dog: She's extremely affectionate and obedient, with her introduction showing her happily licking Cliff's entire face. Immediately after taking down two cultists, the dog goes and cuddles with Francesca. Cliff says that she gets shaken up and likes to sleep with people to feel safe.
Know When to Fold 'Em: She has no problem annihilating the hippies under normal circumstances, but the moment Sadie loses her shit and starts firing off Tex's gun every-which-a-way, Brandy promptly skedaddles out of there and goes to hide in Francesca's room.
Retired Badass: According to the novelization, she used to be a pitfighting champion until she got too badly injured in a fight, and Cliff, after murdering her original owner who wanted to put her in one last fight knowing she'd lose as a sure bet on the other dog, took her in.

Billie Booth

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d4e63ee9_8ea8_4208_91bc_e4cff297099c.jpg

"You know, this is probably the shittiest weather ever. The shittiest weather on the shittiest boat with the shittiest person."

Portrayed By: Rebecca Gayheart

Cliff Booth's wife who died under mysterious circumstances while on a boat trip with her husband, leading to rumors that Cliff killed her.

Ambiguous Situation: Her death. She died while on a boat trip with Cliff, and it appears to be commonly assumed that Cliff murdered her, though Rick insists that he's innocent, and he was apparently charged but acquitted for the incident. We see a flashback of the two, alone on a boat, with her verbally abusing him while he holds a harpoon gun in his lap. The shot seems to imply that he was about to shoot her, but the gun is not loaded and the scene ends before we find out what actually happened. The novelisation reveals that he actually did harpoon her, but that he immediately regretted, tried to keep her alive as long as he could, and has suffered from immense guilt from it afterwards.
Asshole Victim: The one scene shown of her has her nagging Cliff while clearly drunk, although it nonetheless still makes her death Disproportionate Retribution if Cliff did kill her ... which he did, as the novelization confirms.
Cluster F-Bomb: Her more substantial line of dialogue in the flashback has her repeatedly saying the word "shittiest" in quick succession, namely that she's experiencing "the shittiest weather on the shittiest boat with the shittiest person."
Fan Disservice: The last we see of her in the flashback has her standing up in a way that the camera ends up getting an eyeful of her pert, bikini-clad posterior◊. However, that same shot also shows that Cliff had a harpoon gun in his lap pointing at her direction (though it's clearly seen that the gun isn't loaded), which considering how Cliff is hounded through the movie by the accusation that he killed her, makes the scene more disturbing than sexy.
Half the Woman She Used to Be: In the novelization, which confirms that Cliff did shoot her with the spear gun, it's stated that the impact from the spear somehow tore her in half.
Lady Drunk: Her one scene shows her clearly drunk (with a Bloody Mary on hand) while bitterly insulting her husband.
The Lost Lenore: Especially in the novelization, where it's shown that Cliff did shoot her with the spear gun, it's shown that he felt immense guilt from it afterwards. In the film, he's shown drinking Bloody Marys in several scenes, which happened to be what she was drinking when she died, implying that he hasn't gotten over her death.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Her death while drunk and on a boat trip with her husband and the ambiguity surrounding it are a reference to Natalie Wood, and her husband being suspected of having murdered her seems to reference similar accusations levied against Wood's husband Robert Wagner.^note Billie is even stated to have a sister named Natalie in the novelization.
Posthumous Character: She's already dead by the time of the events of the film, her one scene being in a flashback.
Walking Swimsuit Scene: Her one scene happens to have her in a swimsuit.

Historical Domain Characters

Sharon Tate

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/35c93727_5951_4c49_b0bd_8d02cdeece50.jpeg

"I'm in the movie. I play Mrs. Carlson, the klutz."

Portrayed By: Margot Robbie

It's Sharon Tate as she was in real life, with one notable change: her next door neighbor is Rick Dalton.

Actor Allusion: Sharon is introduced on a Pan-Am plane. Pan Am was Robbie's breakout role outside her native Australia.
Allegorical Character: She represents the best parts of Hollywood, as well as the idealism and innocence of the The '60s.
AM/FM Characterization: The novelisation reveals that she loves bubblegum pop, which her husband hates. She prefers The Monkees to The Beatles, and notably enjoys Ohio Express' "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Chewy Chewy", Bobby Sherman and his song "Julie, Do Ya Love Me", and The Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron".
Bait-and-Switch:
- On the night of August 9, 1969, Sharon, Jay, and the other guests at the Polanski residence are seen going out for dinner, with Sharon herself noted as being in discomfort due to her pregnancy and the higher-than-normal heat in the region, thus setting up the tragic events to follow. She later goes back to the house, several of the guests get high, and she changes into another outfit before talking with Jay. Then they completely disappear until the very last scene, not being present at all due to Rick changing the course of history by encountering and driving off the Manson acolytes, causing them to attack his house instead. Sharon and Jay only reappear during the final scene, where they greet Rick and invite him up to the house for a drink.
- To a lesser extent, Sharon is briefly shown training with Bruce Lee, who choreographed The Wrecking Crew. For those expecting an Alternate History plot twist, this may lead them to believe that Sharon will fight off the cultists on her own. In reality, she never even meets them, with Cliff and Rick handling them instead.
Cuddle Bug: She really likes hugging people she meets. Upon entering the Playboy Mansion, the first thing she does is run up and hug Mama Cass. Later in the film, she cheerfully hugs a hippie hitchhiker she gives a ride to, and at the end of the film, gives Rick a big ol' bear hug upon first meeting him after his harrowing experience.
Decoy Protagonist: The film suggests that history is going to play out as normal, and that Sharon will be attacked and killed by the Manson acolytes at the end of the film. However, after she is shown at the party with Sebring and the other guests, and then changes into a different outfit due to her pregnancy, she isn't seen again until the very end, being completely absent due to the acolytes choosing to attack Rick's house instead.
Foregone Conclusion: Given Tate's notorious murder in real life, and the presence of the Manson Family, it looks like the movie's ending is going down the same road as the true events. Until it's absolutely averted in the climax, when the film diverges from history and Rick and Cliff end up killing the three Manson clan members who would have killed Tate and her friends.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Sharon has blond hair and is arguably the nicest person in the film, giving a ride to a complete stranger, chatting up the employees at a local theater, and even inviting her next-door neighbor up for a drink after he had to deal with a home invasion that could've turned deadly.
Happily Married: As in real life, Roman Polanski and Sharon are happily married and have a kid on the way. Polanski is so comfortable with their relationship that he has no problems with Tate maintaining a platonic friendship with Jay Sebring, whom she left to be with Polanski.
Has a Type: Discussed by Steve McQueen and a woman after they watch Sharon dancing with her old boyfriend Jay Sebring (short, skinny, pale, slightly effete), and then consider her current husband Roman Polanski (short, skinny, pale, slightly effete).
Woman: Sharon absolutely has a type. Cute, short, talented guys who look like 12-year-old boys.
Steve McQueen: I never stood a chance.
Love Triangle: Sharon and Roman are in love, but they're still best friends with Sharon's ex-boyfriend Jay Sebring, who in turn is still carrying a torch for Sharon. Steve McQueen voices his suspicion that Jay's staying around Sharon in the hopes of picking up the pieces should Roman break her heart.
Nerd Glasses: Subverted. The beautiful and extremely popular Sharon Tate dons an absolutely massive pair of glasses while watching The Wrecking Crew.
Nice Girl: She's sweet and courteous to everyone she meets, even giving Rick a warm hug upon first meeting him. According to those who knew her, this is very much reflective of the real Sharon.
Not His Sled: The film seems to build up to the infamous Tate murders, only for Alternate History to take effect. The would-be murderers instead start at Rick's house and meet their demise at the hands of him, Cliff, and Brandy. Thus, Sharon and her friends all live and invite Rick into the house for a drink after the ordeal is over.
Prefers Going Barefoot: She goes barefoot for much of the film. This isn't just due to Tarantino's famous obsession with ladies' feet; the real Sharon didn't like wearing shoes at all and went barefoot as much as possible.
Red Herring: The film seems to suggest that Sharon is going to have a larger role in the climax, as she is shown going to a theater and watching footage of herself fighting an opponent in The Wrecking Crew. This, combined with the flashback of her training with Bruce Lee, seems to suggest that history might play out a different way and that she might thwart the attackers who assault the Polanski residence. The script then flips this on its head when the ending shows the Manson murderers initially thwarted by Rick when they drive up Cielo Drive, and once they retreat, they elect to attack his home instead under the belief that they need to attack the actor who "inspired us to kill". As a result, Tate (and, by extension, the rest of the people in the Polanski home) are spared, and aren't seen again until the murderers have been taken care of by Cliff and Rick.
Sacrificial Lamb: Many of the scenes involving her are devoted to showing her as a symbol of innocence and how kind and down-to-earth she is, thus setting up the tragic events of the real-life incident that inspired the film. Except, in this timeline, she doesn't die, and remains alive to greet Rick and have a drink with him, Sebring, and the other party guests at the very end of the film.
Spared by the Adaptation: In this timeline, she doesn't die, with the attackers being routed by Cliff, Brandy, and Rick. At the end of the film, she invites Rick up to the house for a drink with the party guests.

Bruce Lee

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adf16845_bb59_4ac1_923a_daad4fe28862.jpeg

"My hands are registered as lethal weapons. We get into a fight, I accidentally kill you? I go to jail."

Portrayed By: Mike Moh

A famous martial artist and actor, Bruce Lee encounters Cliff Booth during production of The Green Hornet and gets into a confrontation with him.

Advertised Extra: He was featured heavily in promotional materials but only majorly factors into one scene that, while an important part of Cliff's backstory, is fairly incidental to the film's larger plot.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Depending on whether Cliff's Unreliable Narrator flashback is to be believed, Lee is portrayed as a loud-mouthed braggart who lectures the film crew about how amazingly badass he is.
Boisterous Weakling: He talks about beating Cassius Clay, but the first time he actually faces off against a random stuntman (if a highly trained one), he is savagely thrown against a car. Even Lee's first knockdown gives the hint that Cliff let him score it to lower his guard, as Cliff takes the kick immobile and falls in an affected way after Lee lands the kick.
Freeze-Frame Bonus: Cliff's flashback is presented as taking place during production of The Green Hornet on a nearby backlot, as Lee is still wearing part of his Kato costume. When Cliff begins to mock him and the camera pulls back, Lee takes off his character's black coat.
Historical Villain Upgrade: The real Bruce Lee was undoubtedly a complex character with some nasty quirks, but this portrayal of him is unambiguously more arrogant, unpleasant and pedantic than he was by all accounts. He is presented as a jerk who brags that he could cripple Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali) and likes to pick fights, and he calls kickboxer Joe Lewis a "white asshole" as an offhand mention. Tarantino based the scene on a passage on Linda Lee's book stating that those who watched Lee fight would bet that he could beat Cassius Clay, but in real life (Linda's book is very controversial among those who knew Lee), Lee actually admitted Clay would kill him in a fight. Lee still shows admiration for Clay in the film, but his boasts about crippling him are original, likely to make him less sympathetic when Cliff beats him up. The whole point about Lewis is entirely apocryphal: in real life, Lee was Lewis' close friend and trainer at this point, and had actively worked towards meeting Lewis in order to help him with his competitive career.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While Lee is shown to be a jerk in Cliff's flashback, a later flashback shows him on friendly terms with Sharon as he teaches her moves during production of The Wrecking Crew, and he's briefly shown having a friendly sparring match with a party guest at one point.
Made of Iron: If Cliff's recollection of his fight with him is anywhere close to accurate. During the fight, Bruce is slammed against the side of a car hard enough to leave the kind of indentation one would expect if the car had been t-boned, and he still gets up looking pissed-off but uninjured. It is subtly implied that his hip was dislocated, but he pops it back into place and is ready to go for round 3.
Mugging the Monster: Although a capable fighter himself, Lee becomes slightly unnerved when he finds out who he's about to spar with.
Bruce: Who is this guy?
Crewman: That's the guy who killed his wife and got away with it.
Bruce: That guy!?
The Napoleon: He's not especially short, but Cliff does have a few inches on him, being an average white man, and he derides him as a little guy "with a big mouth, and a big chip".
Small Name, Big Ego: Lee is portrayed this way, talking about the purity of combat and playing up his own abilities. This sets him up to clash with Cliff, who is said to be a war vet, and leads to a "friendly" spar.
Bruce: These hands are registered as lethal weapons. I get into a fight, accidentally kill a man... I go to jail.
Cliff: Anyone kills anyone by accident, they go to jail. It's called manslaughter.
Tempting Fate: Lee picks a fight with Cliff when the latter chuckles at him saying he could beat Ali in a one-on-one fight. He is quickly proven to be underestimating his opponent when Cliff (a veteran with decades of stunt and combat experience) throws him into a car door, which wipes the smirk off his face and causes him to take the fight more seriously afterwards.
Underestimating Badassery: Lee scoffs at Booth's mockery of him, and initially gets the upper hand by kicking him down in the first round of their fight. It's only when Cliff picks him up and throws him into the side of a car that he starts to take the fight more seriously.
Warrior Poet: He pontificates a little on the idea of "real" combat when he favorably compares boxing to other forms of hand-to-hand fighting. The real Bruce Lee was indeed a philosopher and a poet in addition to being a martial artist obsessed with fight effectiveness, and took both subjects very seriously.
The Worf Effect:
- In order to build up Cliff's character, he is seen holding his own against Lee, who comes off as arrogant and Tempting Fate against a combat veteran with two decades of experience. That being said, the scene is shown from the perspective of an Unreliable Narrator (Cliff), who may have exaggerated what happened for his own benefit.
- The novel muddies the waters, saying 1) Cliff let Lee get the first hit in order to make him lower his guard (which is still implied in the film, given how unnaturally frozen Cliff looks until taking Lee's kick), and 2) Bruce went easy on Booth when he kicked him, figuring he was the obnoxious loudmouth and was just messing around with him.
Worf Had the Flu: Bruce getting thrown into a car on his second assault on Cliff is justified, as Cliff would have just been taken completely aback by the first one. Who would win the third round, with both attackers prepared, is left unknown, because they're interrupted before it can go down.
Worthy Opponent: Lee seems to consider Booth this, attempting to deflect Janet's accusations by admitting the fight was his fault instead of Cliff's.

Jay Sebring

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7eed5c9d_dbb5_4135_803c_8722c96b6ff4.jpeg

Portrayed By: Emile Hirsch

A famed Hollywood hairstylist, Sebring is Sharon Tate's ex-boyfriend and current close confidante of both her and her husband, director Roman Polanski.

Bait-and-Switch: On the night of August 9, 1969, Sharon, Jay, and the other guests at the Polanski residence are seen going out for dinner, with the group later going back to the Polanski residence. Several of the guests get high and Jay and Sharon talking, thus setting up the tragic events of the real-life scenario. Then they completely disappear until the very last scene, not being present at all due to Rick changing the course of history by encountering the Manson acolytes, causing them to attack his house instead. Sharon and Jay only reappear during the final scene, where they greet Rick and invite him up to the house for a drink.
Dogged Nice Guy: If McQueen is right in his predictions, Jay Sebring may well be a dark example of this, being Sharon's former fiancé, who persists in spending time around the house Sharon and Roman share, eating their food, taking advantage of their hospitality, and feigning interest in a platonic relationship, just to try and take his host's wife at the first sign of trouble.
Flat Character: Beyond a single scene in which he encounters Charles Manson (who is scoping out the residence), he is largely relegated to being a non-participant in the main plot.
Love Triangle: Invoked by Steve McQueen. Jay is still in love with Sharon, who is married to Roman Polanski, but they remain friends. McQueen posits that Jay is staying close by in the hopes of picking up the pieces if Roman should ever break Sharon's heart.
Spared by the Adaptation: Like Sharon, Jay is nowhere to be seen during the final confrontation with the Manson acolytes, and he only appears afterwards to ask Rick what happened and invite him up to the house for a drink.

Steve McQueen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f215c556_55c7_4b2a_b898_eeaac234573a.jpeg

Portrayed By: Damian Lewis

Dubbed By: Jérémie Covillault (European French)

The famous actor who knows everything about everyone.

Alternate History: Played with. Rick was up for McQueen's role in The Great Escape. However, while we see alternate footage of Rick in the role, he backed out, and McQueen was able to take the part, as in real life.
The Cameo: He shows up in only one scene, dancing at a party and commenting on the love triangle between Jay Sebring, Sharon Tate, and Roman Polanski.
Did Not Get the Girl: He harbours a crush on Sharon. He laments that, being a macho type, he is not what Sharon is looking for, and never stood a chance with her.
Historical Domain Character: Steve McQueen was a real actor, and did in fact star in The Great Escape.
Mr. Exposition: He breaks down the relationship between Jay, Sharon and Roman at a party they're all attending at the Playboy Mansion.
The Social Expert: He's able to work out the relationship dynamic between Sharon, Roman, and Jay just by observing them, and speculates it's only a matter of time before Roman screws up majorly and Sharon goes back to Jay.

James Stacy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/df09340a_a174_420e_9cda_7c1098cae6f5.jpeg

Portrayed By: Timothy Olyphant

Dubbed By: Anatole de Bodinat (European French)

One of Rick's co-stars on the pilot for CBS western Lancer, portraying gunslinger and series lead Johnny Madrid Lancer.

Actor Allusion: Western star Stacy is played by Timothy Olyphant, best known for his starring roles in Deadwood (a straight Western series) and Justified (a love letter of sorts to the genre set in modern times).
Ascended Extra: Though he only gets a couple scenes in the movie, Stacy plays a bigger role in the novel, inviting Rick and Cliff out for drinks at the climax and sharing a fond and vulnerable evening with the two.
Consummate Professional: He's exceedingly polite, acts his heart out, and maintains composure when Rick flubs his lines and breaks down.
Nice Guy: As stated above, he's a rather pleasant fellow and happy to work with Rick.

Wayne Maunder

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3e410435_c75d_4b0a_9977_bbfba69a41dd.jpeg

Portrayed By: Luke Perry

An actor on the pilot of Lancer that Rick is shooting.

The Cameo: For Luke Perry, as he only shows up in one brief scene of the filming of Lancer, and that scene is mostly dedicated to Rick giving his tour-de-force performance.
Historical Domain Character: Wayne Maunder was a real actor who starred in the real version of Lancer.

Spahn Ranch

Charles Manson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e019c720_3ed9_40dd_bb35_da1de05d3d88.jpeg

Portrayed By: Damon Herriman

He needs no introduction.

Affably Evil: Despite being a psychotic cult leader, he's perfectly cordial to Sebring and Tate (albeit weirding them out due to him showing up unannounced at their house).
All There in the Manual: In real life, he is The Man Behind the Man of some of the worst murders in Hollywood's history, but he's only in the film for a few moments, doesn't interact with any characters besides Jay and Sharon, and is only described in passing once, making his connection to the fated events very nebulous within the film itself.
Greater-Scope Villain: As in real life, Manson masterminded his cult's brutal crimes (and even participated in a few), but he only appears for roughly two minutes in the finished film and isn't confronted by any of the main characters.
I Coulda Been a Contender!: The novel takes the position that had he gotten the credit for the songs he wrote, and hadn't been jerked around by Terry Melcher, he might've been able to retain what was left of his sanity.
One-Scene Wonder: He has only a single scene in the film, despite his large role in the cult.
Small Role, Big Impact: Being the obvious creator of the commune, Manson plays a large role, but beyond a single scene where he visits the residence and meets Sebring and Tate, he isn't seen again for the rest of the film.
The Unfought: Despite the set-up of him visiting the Cielo Drive residence, he isn't seen for the rest of the film. According to Word of God, more scenes were filmed using the character that were omitted from the final cut, including one where he would have seen Cliff working on top of the Dalton residence and mimicked karate moves in his direction.
Verbal Tic: In the Deleted Scene referred to in The Unfought, he repeatedly refers to the label he wants to sign with as "Columbia Records and Tapes".

Pussycat

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d0db8470_2a3e_40da_86ab_7ea2cc71de4c.jpeg

"Charlie's gonna dig you."

Portrayed By: Margaret Qualley

One of the members of the commune living at Spahn Ranch, who takes a liking to Cliff after they see each other several times around the city.

Actor Allusion: This is the second time that Margaret Qualley has played an eccentric hippie in a period film, with the first being her role as Amelia in The Nice Guys.
Affably Evil: She's part of a cult that attempts to commit brutal murders and has a notable anger streak herself, but is otherwise very charming and good-natured.
Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?: Pussycat bluntly offers Cliff a blowjob when he gives her a ride out of Los Angeles. He politely turns her down, because she can't prove she's of legal age and he doesn't want any more trouble with the law. She actually finds his refusal charming, and settles for resting her head in his lap as he drives, and thus he ends up visiting the Manson compound early.
Bait-and-Switch: The plot sets up a budding romance between her and Cliff, with them encountering each other several times as he drives around the city. When she eventually convinces him to give her a lift back to Spahn Ranch, he obliges and eventually discovers the commune living on-site. Despite their attempts to dissuade him, Cliff investigates the house and talks with George before leaving, causing Pussycat to yell at him that he's "the blind one". After this, she isn't seen again.
Creepy Child: Like the rest of the female commune members, she is prone to vacant stares, a Hair-Trigger Temper, odd habits (rummaging through garbage bins for food), and unnerving singing.
Cute But Psycho: She's played by the beautiful Margaret Qualley, but is also part of Charles Manson's band of lunatics.
Hair-Trigger Temper: One of her establishing moments involves her looking on innocently at other bystanders before snapping at a pair of police officers who drive past, angrily berating them before greeting Cliff. This is Foreshadowing of her eventual behavior at the Spahn Ranch.
Jailbait Taboo: Invoked — Pussycat offers to give Cliff fellatio while he's driving her to the Spahn Ranch, leading him to ask her age and if she has any identification. She claims that she's 18 but doesn't have ID with her, leading Cliff to presume that she's underage and stating that he's not willing to risk jail for "road head".
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Subverted hard. At first, she seems like a cheery, free-spirited girl who can bring some light into Cliff's life. Instead, she's a dangerously unstable cult member who's also underage.
Motor Mouth: She speaks at an unusually fast pace and is prone to randomly raising her voice, giving the impression that she isn't all there.
Ms. Fanservice: Played straight with those midriff-baring tops and short shorts.
Rape as Backstory: When she gets rejected by Cliff, Pussycat mentions that she hasn't been asked her age in a "long time." Considering that she's only 15 (as revealed in the novelization), it's probable that she was raped or molested as a child, which would also explain her erratic behavior as being the result of trauma.
Really 17 Years Old: Implied. Pussycat insists she's Totally 18, but can't prove it. The novel reveals that she's actually fifteen.
What Happened to the Mouse?: After blasting Cliff for investigating the Spahn Ranch and talking to George, she isn't seen again for the rest of the film.

Susan "Sadie" Atkins

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c7e6cd4d_49d6_4cd4_a167_bda538a8ac41.jpeg

"Fuck you, Katie! Sorry I don't know the name of every fascist on TV in the 50s!"

Portrayed By: Mikey Madison

A member of the commune Cliff encounters during his visit to Spahn Ranch. She is one of the Manson acolytes who decides to attack the Polanski residence on Cielo Drive.

Adaptational Attractiveness: In the film, Sadie is portrayed by the beautiful Mikey Madison. However, the real Sadie Atkins was far less conventionally attractive, due to being extremely unhygienic and poorly groomed.
Asshole Victim: She is the reason why the acolytes elect to attack Rick's house first, claiming that they should make an example of Rick by killing the actor who inspired them to kill in the first place (and possibly Leave No Witnesses). She starts things off by ordering Tex to shoot Cliff, which gives Cliff plenty of reason to kick off the chain of events that eventually leads to her death at the hands of Rick and his flamethrower.
Ax-Crazy: Sadie's arguably the craziest member of the commune, as she is a sadistic and unhinged sociopath with extremely petty and unexcusable reasons to be a murderer, and she excitedly talks about wanting to cut Rick and Cliff's penises off and forcing them to eat them just because they were in a violent show which "influenced her to be violent".
Chekhov's Gunman: Given her late-stage prominence in the film, her role runs straight into this trope.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Of the three acolytes, Sadie easily gets it the most, receiving a severe broken nose due to being hit in the face with a can of dog food, being mauled by a dog, running through a glass window, and eventually being lit on fire.
Cute, but Cacophonic: "Cute" might be too strong of a word considering her personality, but Sadie is a short, pretty young woman with a shrill voice who loves to hear herself talk. The fact that she spends almost the entirety of the climax screaming doesn't help.
Dark Action Girl: Within the members of the commune, she holds a relative degree of prominence, standing at the front of the female commune members as they jeer and mock Cliff for investigating the ranch. In the third act, the group defers to her plan to attack Rick's house, based on her arguments.
Death by Adaptation: Along with the other attackers in her group, of which she is the only one not still alive today in reality.
Destination Defenestration: In a panic, she runs through a glass sliding door in an attempt to flee from Cliff, receiving serious lacerations in the process.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She has long dark hair that flows over one side of her face and Cliff notes that she has quite the fair complexion.
Evil Matriarch: While not mentioned in the film itself, she has a son born the fall before the murders, and it doesn’t make her any less Ax-Crazy or sinister.
Foil: She serves as one to her intended target Sharon Tate in some respects. Sharon is blonde, Sadie is dark-haired. Sadie talks a lot in a creepy and sinister manner, while Sharon is a lot quieter and has an air of warmth to her. Sharon expresses excitement about the birth of her child, such as preparing a cradle and in real life, begging for her child's life during the murder, while Sadie historically had a son born the previous fall but shows no sign of caring about him or even acknowledging his existence during her screentime, and is focused on Manson's mission.
Groin Attack: Like Tex, she's on the receiving end of one courtesy of Brandy. While it's just one of her many, many injuries, unlike most female examples of the trope, it is portrayed as excruciating.
Hate Sink: She's a sinister and vicious person with virtually no redeeming traits, and by the end of the film, she easily gets the most extended and violent punishment of any of the three Manson acolytes, receiving several different forms of injury before being immolated by Rick. This may have been inspired by historical rumors that suggest that Sadie either personally killed Sharon Tate in real life, or held her down as Tex stabbed her.
Insane Troll Logic: Her justification for changing the Family's plan and killing Rick is that he starred in a show which glorified violence, so he deserves to be violently murdered as a message to Hollywood. Even better, she says she came to this conclusion after multiple LSD trips.
Sadie: If you grew up watching television, you grew up watching murder... We should be killing the people that taught us to kill!
Laser-Guided Karma: Sadie is historically suspected to have personally murdered Sharon Tate. In the film, she proposes attacking the Dalton residence instead, and is "treated" to the slowest and most painful death of the three attackers, receiving serious head trauma, a mauling, lacerations, and incineration, in that order.
Meaningful Name: Her name is Sadie and she's a sadist.
Mood Whiplash: Sadie, along with Patricia and Tex, beat a hasty retreat after Rick admonishes them outside his home, and get into a humorous argument about recognizing him from Bounty Law. Then, Sadie counters that they should kill Rick because he was one of the actors who inspired them to kill, and they immediately set out to do the deed.
Moral Myopia: Sadie is one of the most prominent members who boo and mock Cliff as he leaves, because he had suspected them of doing something nefarious to the person whose land they're squatting on and wanted to confirm his suspicions without taking their word for it, complete with slashing one of his tires out of spite. When Cliff reacts by punching the guy who did it after he refuses to fix the tire (followed by making him fix it), the hippies (including Sadie, who is at the front of the pack) act as though he is attacking him unprovoked.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Cliff throws a can full of dog food at her face with full force as she tries to rush him with a knife, causing it to break her nose (at the very least) and possibly give her serious head trauma. A few moments later, Cliff orders Brandy to maul her, with Sadie screaming all the while as she shakes her around. She manages to fire off a round that causes Brandy to flee, but in her attempt to escape, she smashes through a plate window door, adding serious facial lacerations to the list of injuries. Finally, having flopped into the swimming pool, Rick incinerates her with his flamethrower, with the end result being shown shortly afterwards in mercilessly graphic detail.
Oh, Crap!: Sadie realizes exactly what's going to happen when she sees Rick stalk out of his garage with a fully-operational flamethrower, having just enough time to widen her eyes in fear before he lights her on fire.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Despite her real name being Susan, everyone refers to her as "Sadie".
Rasputinian Death: Cliff starts off by beaning her in the face with a full can of dog food, before ordering Brandy (who has just finished attacking Tex) to maul her instead. In a panic, she jumps up and tries to escape, running through a glass door and lacerating herself in the process. When she falls into Rick's pool, he sees this, jumps out, grabs the flamethrower from his garage, and incinerates her, with the camera lingering on her as she burns before sinking into the water. Even more notably, the camera cuts back to her charred form floating in the pool as Rick explains what happened. There Is No Kill Like Overkill, indeed.
Small Role, Big Impact: She is initially seen as one of the multitude of female commune members who encounters Cliff at Spahn Ranch, eying him suspiciously as he investigates the property and jeering at him when he leaves. She later turns out to be the instigator of the final confrontation, as she convinces Tex, Patricia, and Flower Child to attack Rick's house, and subsequently gets the biggest comeuppance of the three remaining attackers.
The Sociopath: Much like Tex and Patricia, she wants to massacre people on Cielo Drive, comes up with the plan to kill the occupants of Rick's house, and orders Tex to shoot Cliff after refuses to take them seriously. The moment things go south for them, she rushes at Cliff brandishing a knife and screaming, only to be beaned in the face with a can of dog food.
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Possibly the most prominent example in any of Tarantino's films, with her being mauled, hit in the face with heavy can of dog food (causing potentially-lethal head trauma), lacerated, and immolated.
Underestimating Badassery: Like the rest of the attackers, she apparently didn't realize Cliff (an ex-army member and stuntman) was in the house, along with his trained attack dog, nor did she ever think that Rick could have a deadly weapon to use in self-defense.

Charles "Tex" Watson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9760adc0_6aad_438d_b09a_f80865b29cc7.jpeg

"I'm the devil. And I'm here to do the devil's business."

Portrayed By: Austin Butler

A member of the commune Cliff encounters during his visit to Spahn Ranch, who organizes riding tours of the property for interested tourists. He is one of the Manson acolytes who decides to attack the Polanski residence on Cielo Drive.

Abhorrent Admirer: He was a huge fan of Bounty Law and is amazed he got chewed out by Jake Cahill. But then, after Sadie convinces him and the rest of the group to kill the person who taught them to kill on TV, he's in favor of the idea of killing his childhood hero.
Asshole Victim: He goes along with the plan to kill Rick, and is subsequently goaded by Sadie to shoot Cliff after the latter recognizes who he is. For his trouble, he gets mauled by Brandy (including a Groin Attack), stabbed, and has his head stomped in by Cliff, leading him to be the first attacker to die.
Badass Boast: Defied. In the final act, when Cliff asks him his name while Tex is holding him at gunpoint, he tells Cliff that he's "the Devil", who's come to "do the Devil's business", the exact words Watson famously used during the murders. Cliff is completely unfazed and mocks him, telling him he remembers his name as being something "dumber than that".
Chekhov's Gunman: Like several other members of the commune, Tex's role becomes much more important later in the film, running into this trope.
Co-Dragons: He, along with Squeaky, manages the affairs of the commune at Spahn Ranch, as they did in real life.
Cruel and Unusual Death: He gets viciously mauled by Brandy, including right in the nuts, before being stabbed with his own knife, having his leg snapped in half like a twig, and then having his head stomped in with a single kick.
Curb-Stomp Battle: His fight with Cliff could best be described as laughably one-sided, as Cliff, a war hero and trained stuntman, utterly demolishes Tex and stomps his head in.
Death by Adaptation: One of the most graphic cases of this happening to a real person who is still alive today that one is ever likely to see in a mainstream movie, and among the least problematic of people for this to happen to.
Dramatic Gun Cock: When Cliff mocks him during the final confrontation, he cocks his gun in an effort to be taken seriously. This leads Cliff to sic Brandy on him.
Fanboy: He's implied to be one for Bounty Law. He's downright giddy to have been yelled at by the Rick Dalton, states that his Bounty Law lunchbox was his favorite growing up, and all of his pseudo-cowboy posturing can easily be read as him trying to mimic the series' protagonist Jake Cahill.
Faux Affably Evil: Despite his distrust of Cliff and the creepy air about him, he puts on an air of friendliness while leading the tourist couple on a riding trip around Spahn Ranch. Six months later, he even has this reaction when he realizes who Rick is and says he owned a Bounty Law lunchbox as a kid, and even initially laughs when Cliff says he remembers him "riding on a horsey".
From Nobody to Nightmare: A former Glee Club member from a dysfunctional family who serves as the movie's main Hate Sink, and is the only one of the trio to have participated in a murder before Manson targeted Sharon Tate.
Groin Attack: He's on the receiving end of one after Cliff calls Brandy to attack him during the climax of the film.
The Heavy: To Charles Manson, along with "Squeaky" Fromme. The final act begins with Tex being dispatched, along with Sadie and Patricia, to kill the occupants at the Polanski residence, on Manson's orders.
Historical Beauty Upgrade: Austin Butler is a Long-Haired Pretty Boy compared to the rattier-looking real man.◊
Mirthless Laughter: He lets out a small, nervous chuckle after Cliff mocks his attempts to appear threatening.
Mood Whiplash: After a tense scene encountering the inebriated Rick in front of his house, Tex realizes he recognizes him from Bounty Law, and is completely taken aback by the fact that he just encountered a celebrity. Then Sadie says they should kill Rick, and he agrees to the plan.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Like the rest of the commune members, he is only identified as "Tex" instead of his actual name, Charles Watson.
Paper Tiger: Even when he has a gun trained on his would-be victim, it's clear he's in over his head. He's the first one to go down, despite being the leader of the trio.
Screams Like a Little Girl: If a pitbull had a vice grip on your crotch, you would too.
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: He's mauled by a dog, is on the receiving end of a Groin Attack, stabbed, and has his head stomped in by a man tripping on acid.
Underestimating Badassery: Like Patricia and Sadie, he doesn't realize who he's dealing with, leading him to be the first attacker killed by Cliff during the assault on Rick's house.
Undignified Death: Despite his bravado and attempted usage of a knife, Tex is a drug-using hippie who quickly falls to the combined efforts of Brandy attacking his sensitive parts and Cliff, a trained combatant, who easily disarms him and stomps his head against a door frame.
The Unfought: After being informed that Cliff is causing trouble at Spahn Ranch, Tex rides back at full gallop to try and intercept him, only to arrive too late, as Cliff has already fixed his tire and drove off. Subverted in the finale, when Cliff recognizes who Tex is, mocks him, sics Brandy on him, stabs him, and eventually curb-stomps his head into the frame of Rick's front door.
Villains Out Shopping: He Used to Be a Sweet Kid who watched Bounty Law and even owned a lunchbox from it.
Wrong Genre Savvy: He seems to fashion himself as some kind of modern day cowboy hero, and his introduction is framed to evoke one, but he's really The Heavy for one of the most infamous murder cults in history.

Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel

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"Jesus Christ Sadie, keep it together!"

Portrayed By: Madisen Beaty

A member of the commune Cliff encounters during his visit to Spahn Ranch. She is one of the Manson acolytes who decides to attack the Polanski residence on Cielo Drive.

Adding Insult to Injury: As Cliff is smashing Patricia's face into the phone receiver, it makes a handful of dinging noises, adding some Black Comedy to the scene. Given the real-life character's involvement in the murders, this was likely intentional.
Asshole Victim: Like the rest of the acolytes, she was planning to massacre the inhabitants of the Polanski residence before Rick's catching them caused a divergence from history, and likely would have done the same to Rick and his wife had Cliff not been present. As a result, her comeuppance at Cliff's hands (especially after stabbing him) comes off as karmic justice.
Bullying a Dragon: She manages to get a shot in on Cliff by bum-rushing him in the Dalton residence, stabbing him in the leg in the process. Upon gloating at him after doing this, he responds by bashing her head into every single surface he can find, reducing her face to a bloody pulp in the process.
Chekhov's Gunman: Like several other members of the commune, Katie's role becomes much more important later in the film, running into this trope.
Cruel and Unusual Death: She gets her skull bashed in against multiple hard surfaces until it's practically paste.
Death by Adaptation: One of the most graphic cases of this happening to a real person who is still alive today that one is ever likely to see in a mainstream movie, and among the least problematic of people for this to happen to.
Designated Girl Fight: She's poised to have one with Francesca during the climax... except the latter runs away and hides while she attempts to deal with Cliff herself.
Dirty Coward: Of the three attackers, Patricia's only roles are to force Francesca out of bed, threaten her with a knife, then try to bum-rush Cliff and stab him when he's distracted. It seems to momentarily work... until he picks her up by the hair and smashes her face into a bloody paste.
Evil Redhead: She has red hair and is a depraved killer.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Like the other members of the commune, she is only identified as "Katie" instead of her real name, Patricia.
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Cliff essentially turns her face into red paste during the final confrontation, after she's just stabbed him in the hip.
Too Dumb to Live: Patricia has an opportunity to escape after Cliff maims Sadie and orders Brandy to maul Tex, not to mention Patricia herself being punched by Rick's wife. However, Patricia instead opts to bumrush Cliff, stabbing him in the hip while gloating at him. For her trouble, she gets turned into red paste after Rick smashes her into every single surface he can find.
Smug Smiler: She throws a smirk at Cliff after stabbing him. Her bravado does little to save her when he's barely phased by it.
Villains Out Shopping: She Used to Be a Sweet Kid who watched Bounty Law.

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

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"If he comes this way, let me know."

Portrayed By: Dakota Fanning

The "den-mother" of the commune residents at Spahn Ranch, she takes a particular interest in Cliff when he gives Pussycat a ride to the property.

Cassandra Truth: When Cliff asks to see George, Squeaky gives him a series of excuses as to why he can't see him. Her creepy expression, monotone voice, the state of George's house, and the way the other commune members stare at them make Cliff think something's very wrong. It turns out everything she said was 100% true, as George himself confirms when Cliff wakes him up.
Co-Dragons: She, along with "Tex" Watson, oversees the rest of the cult living at the commune.
Creepy Monotone: She speaks in a blunt and off-putting manner.
Death Glare: She never takes her eyes off Cliff as he wanders to the back of the house.
In Love with the Mark: The novelization reveals that while Squeaky originally only offered sexual favors to George Spahn to distract him from the Family's goings-on, she really did end up falling in love with him.
Mama Bear: Invoked, as Cliff calls her this verbatim when he walks up to the door of George's house.
Non-Indicative Name: For a woman nicknamed "Squeaky", she has a rather flat, husky voice.
- In real life, she got the nickname because George Spahn liked to tickle her and she would make squeaking sounds while he did.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Like the other members of the commune, she is only known by her nickname, "Squeaky", instead of her real name, Lynette Fromme.
Really Gets Around: She appears to revel in her sexuality, openly telling Cliff that George is asleep because she "fucked his brains out" earlier that morning. He later confirms that this was actually the case when he wakes George up.
Rule of Symbolism: When Cliff walks into the house after she's sat down, he witnesses a rat squeaking as it struggles to free itself from a glue trap. This is a reference to her Affectionate Nickname, "Squeaky", which was given to her in real life by George Spahn because of the sound she made when he touched her.
Unkempt Beauty: She's a beautiful woman, but is greasy and unwashed-looking even when compared to the other residents of her commune.
Vapor Wear: It's clear through her tank top that she is not wearing a bra.
Villain of Another Story: She went on to try and rally support for Manson after his arrest in real life, and was later arrested for trying to murder Gerald Ford. However, her fate in the movie's timeline is anyone's guess.

Linda "Flower Child" Kasabian

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Portrayed By: Maya Hawke

A conflicted member of the commune. She is one of the Manson acolytes who decides to attack the Polanski residence on Cielo Drive.

Heel–Face Turn: Linda decides to flee from the group after they encounter Rick outside his house. In real life, she acted as a lookout during the killings, being stationed outside the house to watch for intruders, but otherwise refused to participate in them and ended up testifying against the Manson Family in court.
Obfuscating Stupidity: As the group walks up the hill to Rick's house, she claims that she left her knife in the car, which causes the exasperated Tex to hand her the keys so she can run and get it. She uses the opportunity to steal the car and flee the area.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After the argument in the car, Linda immediately gets cold feet and decides to get the hell out of dodge, pretending she left her knife in the car so she can get the keys from Tex before commandeering it and driving off, leaving Tex, Sadie, and Katie stranded.
Token Good Teammate: As in real life, Linda refuses to participate in the murders. While it's unknown what happens to the Manson clan in this Alternate History where Cliff and Rick thwart their crimes, it's likely she still performs her real life counterpart's Heel–Face Turn and testifies against the Family.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: She seems to think of the Manson Family as idyllic and a real Family of Choice during the scene at the ranch and is visibly nervous and conflicted after the Time Skip while being sent to kill Sharon Tate. Her real-life counterpart also joined the Manson Family due to feeling it resembled the Hopi legends she'd grown up hearing.

Diane "Snake" Lake

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Portrayed By: Sydney Sweeney

Dubbed By: Rebecca Benhamour (European French)

A minor member of the Manson Family.

Courier: Squeaky has her relay what she sees as Cliff arrives at the Spahn Ranch.
Token Good Teammate: Like Flower Child, she doesn't appear as malevolent or sinister as the other members of the Family.

Steve "Clem" Grogan

Portrayed By: James Landry Hebert

A cult member who picks a fight with Cliff. His real-life counterpart participated in the Manson Family's crimes after the murders of Sharon and her friends.

Addled Addict: Not too evident in the film itself, but he does show some signs of drug use, and in real life was hooked on drugs by Manson to make him dependent on the Family. His real-life counterpart received a reduced sentence from a judge who declared him "too stupid and too hopped on drugs to decide anything on his own."
Beard of Evil: He has a short, yet somewhat grungy beard, and antagonizes Cliff during his visit.
Bullying a Dragon: He slashes one of Cliff's tires and makes the mistake of standing around and smirking about it.
Dumb Muscle: He's one of the toughest-looking members of the Family, and also one of the dimmest. Even the others seem to recognize this, yelling out that he doesn't know better after Cliff hits him.
Evil Is One Big, Happy Family: This is evident after Cliff beats him up, as everyone else gets angry and frightened on his behalf, calling him a flower, and one of the women mouths that she loves him as Cliff puts him to work changing the tire without even giving him a rag to wipe his face first.
The Pig-Pen: It's doubtful this man has ever taken a bath in his entire life.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He struts around bare-chested for all of his screen time.

Leslie "Lulu" Van Houten

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Portrayed By: Victoria Pedretti

A member of the Manson Family who guides tourists on horseback rides.

Alone with the Psycho: One possible interpretation of her (and Tex) taking tourists on horseback rides.
Ambiguously Evil: She was involved in some of Manson's later murders in real life, but during the events of the film, it's unclear if she's involved in anything nebulous or sinister yet or if she ever will be, given the change in the timeline.
Nice Girl: She's very pleasant and helpful towards both the tourists, which just adds to the Fridge Horror when you consider her real-life counterpart's actions.
Token Good Teammate: Interestingly played with. She plays this straight in the context of just what the movie shows, where she's even less malevolent than Flower Child or Snake, and her screen time consists of pleasantly showing around tourists and being absent when everyone else gets mad and starts throwing abuse at Cliff. However, in the real-life events following the movie, which may not happen due to the deaths of Tex and the others, she did participate in one of the Family's murders.

Catherine "Gypsy" Share

Portrayed By: Lena Dunham

A relatively high-ranking member of the Manson Family.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She's pretty warm and welcoming when Cliff and Pussycat arrive at the ranch, but quickly becomes somewhat hostile when Cliff insists on seeing George Spahn.
Team Mom: She's a little older than most of the other women at the ranch, and acts a bit like a concerned parent when Pussycat arrives back later than expected.

Sundance

Portrayed By: Cassidy Vick Hice

A Manson Family member in the film.

Bring Help Back: She's sent to summon Tex when Cliff gets into a fight with Clem.
Only Known by Their Nickname: She's one of the few fictional Manson Family members in the film, so her real name is unknown and she's only called Sundance.
The Reliable One: Sundance is trusted to ride after Tex fast enough to summon him back when Cliff beats up Clem, and seamlessly takes over guiding the tour group for him after doing so.
Token Good Teammate: She doesn't seem to take part in hurling abuse at Cliff, shows concern for Clem, and doesn't seem to be involved in any of Charles's crimes.

George Spahn

Portrayed By: Bruce Dern

The blind and elderly owner of the Spahn Movie Ranch, and one of Cliff's former colleagues from his Bounty Law days.

Dirty Old Man: He has an ongoing relationship with a woman easily young enough to be his granddaughter.
Disabled Snarker: He's blind and has a very sarcastic wit.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's a cantankerous old geezer, but he does seem to love Squeaky and appreciates Cliff stopping by to check up on him.
Kavorka Man: He's old and unkempt, but shares a bed with the significantly younger Squeaky Fromme. Justified in that Squeaky is sleeping with him to keep him distracted from the Manson family's nefarious goings-on.
Locked Out of the Loop: Being blind and bedridden means that George really has no idea what the Manson family has gotten up to on his property.

Characters / Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

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