MovieChat Forums > Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019) Discussion > Significance of Kurt Russell being the ...

Significance of Kurt Russell being the narrator?

posted 4 years ago by BurningSun (717)
25 replies | jump to latest

Why is it that Kurt Russell narrates the movie? His character bares very little significance to the plot and is only in the movie on screen for about five minutes. I love Kurt Russell but I feel like there should be a reason as to why he serves as the narrator. I feel like it would make more sense for Brad Pitt or Margot Robbie to be the narrator, or for the narrator to be it’s own character played by an actor who does not have another role besides just being the narrator.

[–] Cognoscente (2480) 3 years ago

The novelization might hold the key.

[–] Kowalski (60803) 3 years ago

"Quentin Tarantino admitted that the concept behind ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD had been kicking around in his brain for several years, but it wasn't until filming a previous movie that the idea began to crystalize. Tarantino recounted a story where he saw one of his actors laughing and smoking with his stuntman. It was clear that the two had a long-standing and friendly relationship. The director described the person as somewhat of a former action star, although he declined to name the actor or the movie in question. In any event it was the actor's relationship with his stuntman that finally gave Tarantino an "in" to the story."

THERE IS ALSO A THEORY KICKING AROUND THAT KURT RUSSEL'S CHARACTER IS THE SAME AS DEATHPROOF.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (20587) 3 years ago

Stuntman Mike would make sense.

[–] sONOMArEturns (1253) 2 years ago

i think you're right. i remember reading that Kurt Russell was the physical embodiment of that era of film. much like DiCaprio's character, Russell was a real-life golden boy of 1969 hollywood and had appeared in a lot of the same roles as DiCaprio's character does in the movie. another thing i read, though i'm not sure if it's true, it that when Tarantino first came up for the idea of OUAT...IH, Kurt Russell was QT's first choice to play the lead role and at the time he was still young enough to play it.

so essentially, Russell is the symbolic representation of DiCaprio's era. he looks over the movie as a ghost of 1969 Hollywood, commenting on things he saw personally and was supposed to be playing. He is Leo's character, in a way. That, combined with the fact that he inspired the story on the set of Death Proof, it's QT's way of casting him in a role he was supposed to play but couldn't due to age.

[–] redban (5290) 2 months ago

There was no significance. Tarantino just said, “let’s have Kurt narrate”

[–] redban (5290) 2 months ago

[deleted]

[–] BKB (6496) 2 months ago

It's like Kurt loves the idea of being in a Quentin Tarantino movie, whether it's good or bad