Tarantino Reveals Rick Dalton’s Future Post-‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’
Quentin Tarantino's latest movie Once Upon A Time in Hollywood weaves together truth and fiction, fact and myth. Real-life historical figures interact with invented ones, and some characters — such as actress Sharon Tate — receive a more forgiving fate than they did in actuality. During a recent podcast appearance on The Margaret Cho, Tarantino details what he envisions for Rick Dalton's career post-OUATIH.
Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, isn't based on any one person. Rather, he's a mix of several key figures, including George Maharis and Tye Hardin. Tarantino predicts that Dalton, like the actors he's based on, would have continued to have a tame but steady career in TV:
“What could have easily have happened, even if he had a little bit more success in the 1970s than maybe I give him credit for, what I could really see happening, because it happened to a lot of these guys, is that by the late 1970s, early 1980s, a lot of these macho ’50s and ’60s television leading men, they showed up on TV shows again but as the older cop who’s the boss of the younger cop that sends them out on the missions.”
So there you have it. Rick Dalton evades the Manson cult, connects with his neighbor Sharon Tate and continues to make his living on the small screen. The jury is still out on what happens to Brad Pitt's Cliff Booth. The last we see of Dalton's stunt double, he's being rushed to the hospital after his run in with the Mansons. But perhaps that too will be revealed if Tarantino successfully pulls off a television spinoff series, which Pitt has confirmed might be possible.
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