London: Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio sprinkled some old Hollywood magic on Tuesday at the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's latest movie, 'Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood.'
The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as Tinseltown old-timers in a 1969 Los Angeles where old Hollywood is transitioning from studio-driven fare to auteur-driven movies and its brightest stars are fading.
Rick Dalton, played by DiCaprio, is one such star, who, in the face of industry change and his creeping has-been status, finds himself in the throes of an existential crisis.
Pitt plays Cliff Booth - Dalton's longtime stunt double and all-around go-fer, who is casual friends with DiCaprio's character and witness to the star's slow breakdown.
Talking about working with Pitt, Leonardo said, "I'd love to work with him again, he's an amazing partner.
"Quentin gave us such an incredible backstory, not only in the time period but these men's history together and their relationship. And it felt like the first day we were on set, we knew what that relationship was and we just kind of rolled from there."
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It's the first time DiCaprio and Pitt have made a feature together, though the two co-starred in a 2015 short directed by Martin Scorsese.
At the premiere, Pitt was equally effusive about DiCaprio, describing him as "good as gold."
"It's nice to have a heavyweight with you that's carrying the load," added the 55-year-old star.
Joining Pitt and DiCaprio at the premiere was Margot Robbie, who stars as real-life actress Sharon Tate and who revealed that the cast "had some good nights out" during the shoot.
"Particularly with some of the other cast members like Raf (Rafal Zawierucha) who plays Roman Polanski and Abigail (Samantha Robinson), Voyetk (Costa Ronin)m" she smiled. "It was nice to hang out with that crew and they're such good people."
At the U.S. box office, 'Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood' took $40 million in its opening weekend for Sony, besting the 2009 opening of Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds' by $2 million.
The reviews have been just as positive, with many critics hailing the film as one of Tarantino's best. Pitt, however, is taking it all in his stride.
"Truthfully, I haven't read a review since… I don't know. '02," he said.
"But I have my own gauge and I think it's a pretty damn good film and I'm really, really proud to be a part of it. And anytime you work with Tarantino, you know it's going to be something fresh and original."
Other stars at the premiere included Damian Lewis and Lena Dunham, as well as the director himself.
'Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood' is out now in the U.S. and hits U.K. theaters on August 14.
With inputs from APTN.
