Once Upon A Time In Hollywood with McKenna McFadden

Tarantino’s sun-bleached fairytale gets the full Movie Wars teardown. I’m joined by Seth and McKenna McFadden to dig into Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: the Rick/Cliff bromance (Leonardo DiCaprio & Brad Pitt), the Sharon Tate revision, the Bruce Lee fight debate, and why Quentin himself calls this his best film.

We trace how the idea sparked on the Death Proof set while Tarantino watched the actor–stuntman bond, how Rick & Cliff were stitched from real Hollywood pairings (Burt Reynolds/Hal Needham; Steve McQueen/Bud Ekins), why it nearly became a Manson movie, and why he wrote five episodes of “Bounty Law” just to make Dalton feel real. We also hit the Sony deal (post-Weinstein), needle-drop genius (real KHJ radio airchecks), and the stunt-culture DNA that still shapes modern action

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⏱️ Chapters

• 00:03 Cold open & welcome
• 00:17 Show format + guest intro (NYU → WWE; music licensing)
• 01:57 LA golden age vs today
• 02:00 Why it's our Tarantino favorite/rankings
• 02:39 Tarantino says it's his best
• 03:29 Origin on Death Proof set; actor–stuntman dynamic
• 03:53 Rick & Cliff modeled on Reynolds/Needham, McQueen/Ekins
• 05:21 It started as a novel / novelization
• 06:54 From Charles Manson project to Hollywood elegy
• 07:38 Tarantino “universe” & alternate history
• 09:02 Tarantino wrote five “Bounty Law” episodes
• 09:20 Fincher’s Cliff Booth project (debate if needed)
• 09:52 Sony deal, $100M budget, Weinstein split
• 11:58 Bruce Lee scene discourse
• 12:30 Martial arts’ impact on action; Casino Royale pivot
• 16:25 Real KHJ radio airchecks; no original score
• 22:55 War Zone: Round 1 (mid-episode volley)
• 28:24 Randos → Questions transition
• 42:09 Questions: character & craft
• 42:50 Penultimate question: Tarantino’s “best” claim
• 51:08 Last question: Who/What won & lost the movie?
• 58:15 Influences & tone (Texas Chainsaw vibes
• 60:24 Scorecard: Yes/No
• 63:38 Final scores & sign-off

💡 Takeaways

• Tarantino almost wrote Once Upon a Time as a novel before filming.
• Rick Dalton & Cliff Booth sprang from real Hollywood duos.
• Sony’s $100M deal gave Quentin final cut and first-dollar gross after splitting from Weinstein.
• The Bruce Lee scene was meant as a satire of old vs new Hollywood, but still divides fans.
• The soundtrack uses authentic KHJ radio tapes—no original score—so LA itself becomes the music.