Did Cliff Booth kill his wife inOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, or was it an accident? It’s a question we haven’t been able to stop thinking about sinceQuentin Tarantino’s love letter to showbiz hit theaters last summer. Tarantino said he knows the answer, but refuses to divulge it – much like the contents of the glowing briefcase inPulp Fiction. Fortunately, there are no shortage of theories floating around modern day Hollywood, so we asked everyone who stopped by the Kia Telluride Supper Suite in Park City to join the great debate and weigh in with their own interpretations of that brief scene.
Rebuilding ParadisedirectorRon Howardwas among those who had no qualms pointing a finger at Cliff, no matter how charmingBrad Pitt’s stuntman character may be.
Nine DaysstarZazie Beetzagreed. “I think he killed her,” she said. You won’t hear any argument fromSummertimeactorTyris Winter. “I think he did something to her,” he said, noting “the way he looked at her in that scene when she was upset.”
Promising Young WomanstarBo BurnhamandSergiostarWagner Mouraalso returned ‘guilty’ verdicts, whileSergiodirectorGreg Barkersaid simply: “It’s Tarantino. Of course he did it.”
The NeststarCarrie Coonknows a thing or two about playing “the wife” onscreen, and she explained that “they always kill their wives. The wife is there to be killed. That’s why the wife is in the movie. So someone can kill her.”
The pile-on didn’t stop there. “He totally killed his wife. How is that a question?“Lost GirlsdirectorLiz Garbussaid with an incredulous laugh. “It’s always the husband,” addedDinner in AmericaactressEmily Skeggs.
Some folks refused to come up with an answer, explaining that part of the fun is not knowing.
“i think that’s a question that is best left unanswered, but it’s such a good provocation in the film,” saidSpreedirectorEugene Kotlyarenko.
Meanwhile,The Last ShiftactressAllison Tolmantook issue with the question. “I think that’s a pretty huge spoiler,” she scoffed, though we swear this debate won’t ruin anyone’s enjoyment of the film.
Cliff had plenty of defenders, too, of course.
“I have to believe it was an accident, otherwise I like the movie a lot less, saidRun Sweetheart RundirectorShana Feste.David Bruckner, director of fellow Midnight titleThe Night House, echoed that sentiment. “I have to believe it was an accident,” he said.
“I’m hoping it was an accident, because otherwise, why did I like him so much in the movie?” askedUncle FrankstarPaul Bettany. “It has to be an accident, otherwise you’d hate him.”
“I wanted it to be an accident so that I could enjoy the rest of the movie, so I let myself believe it was an accident, confessedPalm SpringsstarAndy Samberg.
Blast BeatstarKali UchisconflatedOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodstar Brad Pitt with his character. “Brad Pitt would never do something like that. He wouldn’t be capable,” she stated with confidence.
Beast BeastdirectorDanny Maddenadmitted that he changed his mind following a second viewing. “I watched it once and I thought, ‘for sure,’ and I watched it a second time and I thought, ‘maybe not.’
Horse GirldirectorJeff Baenabelieves that the scene is a callback to Marvin’s death inPulp Fiction. If you’ll remember,Samuel L. Jacksonis driving the car, and he hits a speed bump, andJohn Travolta’s gun accidentally goes off, splattering Marvin’s brains all over the car. Baena swears that if you pay attention to the camerawork in that scene, it’s clear that Cliff’s boat is riding atop a wave, and is about to come crashing down when the scene cuts away. “It’s the exact [same] sort of vibe,” he said.
In the end, Collider turned toTeslastarJim Gaffiganto settle this debate once and for all, but he was no help. “My parents said I’m not old enough to watch that movie. It’s filled with filthy fucking words,” joked Gaffigan.
Let us know what you think happened on that boat in the comments section below, or on YouTube. For more onOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, including what became ofLeonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton following the events in the film,click here.
