Inglourious Basterds and told an alternate version of real-life events, although this time set in 1960s Hollywood.
Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who had worked together for years and were very close. As Hollywood’s golden age neared its end, so did Rick and Cliff’s careers, and they struggled to remain active and relevant. Rick’s popularity began to decline and his once lead roles in TV shows and films were reduced to guest appearances, and he had to agree to work on something he really didn’t want to take part in: Spaghetti Westerns.
This subgenre of Western films emerged in the mid-1960s, and its big breakthrough came in 1964, in big part thanks to Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (starring Clint Eastwood). Rick Dalton took part in Western-style projects before finally agreeing to go to Italy, so why didn’t he want to make Spaghetti Westerns?
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Why Rick Dalton Didn’t Like Spaghetti Westerns
At the beginning of the film (without counting the flashback/interview on the set of Bounty Law), Rick met with casting agent Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino), who made him see that his career was in decline and so recommended he went to Rome and made Spaghetti Westerns. After the meeting, Rick broke down in front of Cliff and told him he was a “has-been”, and that Schwarz suggested he made Spaghetti Westerns. Cliff asked what was wrong with that, to which Rick angrily replied that making Italian films was the problem.
Though Spaghetti Westerns were very popular and there are many classics in that subgenre, many believed it was an invasion of an American genre. The American audience was very protective of the Western genre, and they weren’t welcoming of Spaghetti Westerns. Rick Dalton was part of that over-protective audience and found Italian Westerns to be beneath him – and as he was struggling with his career, making films that weren’t at his level was a big “no”. Rick ended up agreeing when Schwarz booked him the lead in Sergio Corbucci’s Nebraska Jim after seeing his guest performance on The F.B.I. Ironically, those films that Rick believed to be beneath him kept his career afloat for a bit longer and even met his wife, sca Capucci (Lorenza Izzo) through them, but that also meant not being able to afford Cliff’s services any longer, though they remained close.
