Once Upon A Time In Hollywood: Ranking Every Major Performance
5. Margot Robbie As Sharon Tate
The movie's handling of Sharon Tate has already been dominating a great deal of the conversation surrounding the film and with good reason; it is her film. And while each viewer's mileage seems to be varying on just how effective they find the approach that Tarantino and Robbie took to bringing the real-life actress to life once more on the big screen, this writer found it boldly elegant and ultimately touching.
Sharon Tate doesn't get the screentime or development that her fellow co-stars Rick Dalton or Cliff Booth get. Instead, both in the narrative of the film and in the form of the film, she is deified. In-narrative, characters like Rick and Cliff watch her from the house next door and view her as something of an icon, someone too famous for even them to interact with.
In the form of the film, Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson treat us to extended sequences such as her trip to go see The Wrecking Crew at the Bruin Theatre, in which they allow us to simply sit with Robbie as Tate. To her immense credit, Robbie delivers an astounding performance that embraces this unique take on the character, working in synchrony with Tarantino and Richardson's form to create a truly special ode to innocence lost in the form of a love letter to Sharon Tate.