Back in March, the late Sharon Tate's sister, Debra Tate, made it clear that she did not approve of Quentin Tarantino's upcoming "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," a film set against the backdrop of her sister's 1968 murder by the Manson Family.
Debra was convinced that the famed filmmaker's project — which stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio — would end up glorifying notorious criminal Charles Manson, whose followers stabbed five people, including 26-year-old Sharon, to death in her home when the actress was eight-and-a-half months pregnant.
But Debra has now changed her mind and is, at least for now, giving the movie her blessing. And it's all because she had a sit-down with Quentin to talk about the project.
Quentin reached out to Debra in hopes of discussing her concerns, she told TMZ, and when they met, he graciously heard her out. She tells TMZ that Quentin shared the top-secret plot with her, which made her "feel much better," TMZ reports, and has led her to believe the Oscar-winning screenwriter has "honorable intentions."
"This movie is not what people would expect it to be when you combine the Tarantino and Manson names," Debra told TMZ.
She also feels much more at peace now that Sony has just moved up the film's release date by two weeks — it's set to open on July 26, 2019 — which means it will no longer hit theaters on Aug. 9, the 50th anniversary of the murders at Sharon and husband Roman Polanski's home on Cielo Drive in the Hollywood Hills. The original release date, Debra told TMZ, felt "tacky and exploitative."
Leonardo DiCaprio plays former western TV series star Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt plays his longtime stunt double, Cliff Booth, in the movie, which is shooting in and around Los Angeles this summer. In late June, Leo posted a first-look photo of himself and Brad in costume.
Other cast members, Variety reports, include Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch, Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Keith Jefferson and Nicholas Hammond.
Despite Debra's about-face, she made it clear she's still harboring reservations, TMZ reports, and plans to again meet with Quentin, who will let her read the script.
Debra previously criticized Brad and Leo for "throwing all their social responsibility to the wind" when they signed on to the project, she told TMZ in March. "To [celebrities], it's a paycheck and these people just don't care. They are terribly hurtful to the actual family and all the living victims. They don't give a s—."