Throughout his career, Brad Pitt has opted for several personas for his movies and has given his best, whether it’s as Tyler Durden in Fight Club or Rusty Ryan in the Ocean’s Trilogy. One such character also includes the role of a stunt double, Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 comedy-drama. He is described as a World War II hero who specializes in knives and close-quarter combats. While the director gives a brief look at Cliff Booth in his novel of the same name, one of the scenes featuring Booth has been quite controversial in the movie.
Although the movie was a box office success and was received very well by critics as well, many were upset with the way it portrayed the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. And the Oscar-winning actor has also expressed his concern about the same.
Brad Pitt Raised Concern Over His Controversial Fight Scene
Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 comedy-drama, Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood featured a scene between Brad Pitt and Mike Moh as Cliff Booth and Bruce Lee, respectively. While the movie received rave reviews from critics, the particular sequence between the martial arts legend and the stunt double was heavily criticized by many.
The scene features a fight sequence between the two, in which Booth takes the lead against Mike Moh as Bruce Lee. Many, including the late actor’s daughter, criticized the scene, saying that it portrayed him “as an arrogant a**hole, who was full of hot air.”
During an interview with HuffPost, the co-stunt coordinator on the 2019 movie, Robert Alonzo, revealed that the scene was expected to be much longer than it actually is in the movie. And both he and Pitt were concerned over that specific scene.
“I know that Brad had expressed his concerns,” he told HuffPost before adding, “Brad was very much against it. He was like, ‘It’s Bruce Lee, man!'” He also shared that many on the movie set were also concerned over the way the comedy-drama portrays Bruce Lee.
The Controversial Fight Sequence Had an Alternate Ending
The fight sequence between Cliff Booth and Bruce Lee in Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood doesn’t really portray either of them as the winner, as stunt coordinators Janet and Randy, portrayed by Zoë Bell and Kurt Russell, respectively, interfere and stop the duel.
However, according to HuffPost, it had an alternate ending, which featured Lee losing against Booth by what Robert Alonzo described as a “cheap-shot move.” The stunt coordinator for Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood clarified that it was meant to “explain to the audience the level at which Cliff was [operating].”
After testing different versions of the scene, the director eventually decided to leave the brawl indeterminate, with the stunt coordinators interfering in the “friendly contest.” Robert Alonzo shared that he spent nearly three months training Brad Pitt and Mike Moh to get the fight choreography natural.
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood is available on Prime Video.
Source: HuffPost
