Actor Jennifer Lawrence was once set to play Sharon Tate opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), but the internet chatter surrounding her possible casting made her lose out on the film.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lawrence said online users felt she wasn't "pretty enough" for the role. While Tarantino did want to work with her, her role eventually went to Margot Robbie.
She added, "Or it's that thing where I've been telling the story this way for so long that I believe it. No, but I'm pretty sure that happened." Podcast host Josh Horowitz claimed that the internet would "never do that" to which Lawrence jokingly said, "No, those sweetie pies?"
Lawrence also revealed that she rejected a role in Tarantino's Hateful Eight. "I turned it down, which I should not have done," Lawrence said, responding to a question from Horowitz on the role of Jennifer Jason Leigh from the film.
Debra Tate, Sharon Tate's sister, had commented on the casting in 2017, saying Robbie was her preferred choice due to her "physical beauty and the way she carries herself," and noting that Lawrence was "just, I don't know, not pretty enough to play Sharon."
She further remarked, "That’s a horrible thing to say, but I have my standards."
Tarantino later clarified in interviews that while he considered Lawrence for the Sharon Tate role, he had also explored casting her as Squeaky Fromme, a role that eventually went to Dakota Fanning. "I couldn't be happier with what Dakota Fanning did. It's one of the best performances in the movie," Tarantino said. He praised Lawrence as "a very nice person" and said he respects her as an actor.
