Jennifer Lawrence Says She Lost Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Role Over Looks, Clarifies Tarantino Casting Rumors

Jennifer Lawrence has shared a candid and self-aware reflection on her near-miss with Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, claiming she believes she lost out on a role in the film because she was considered “not pretty enough” — though she admits the truth may be more complicated.

Speaking on the January 12 episode of Happy Sad Confused, Lawrence said director Quentin Tarantino initially wanted her involved in the 2019 movie, but resistance from others derailed the idea.

“Well, he did [want to cast me], and then everybody was like, ‘She’s not pretty enough to play Sharon Tate,’” Lawrence said. “And then they didn’t.”

Host Josh Horowitz pushed back on the claim, but Lawrence stood by her recollection — with a twist.

“I’m pretty sure it is true,” she joked. “Or it’s that thing where I’ve been telling the story this way for so long that I believe it. Or he just never was considering me for the part and the internet just went out of their way to call me ugly.”

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood centers on an alternate-history version of the Charles Manson murders, imagining a world in which actress Sharon Tate survives. Tate was killed in 1969 at age 26 by members of the Manson Family.

When casting rumors circulated in 2017, Lawrence’s name surfaced alongside Margot Robbie. However, Tate’s sister Debra Tate publicly opposed the idea at the time.

“She’s not pretty enough to play Sharon,” Debra told TMZ. “My pick would be Margot simply because of her physical beauty and even the way she carries herself is similar to Sharon.”

Robbie ultimately landed the role and starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Debra Tate later visited the set and said Robbie’s performance deeply moved her.

“She made me cry because she sounded just like Sharon,” Debra said in a 2019 interview with Vanity Fair. “I actually got to see my sister again … nearly 50 years later.”

Years after the film’s release, Tarantino clarified that while Lawrence was never his choice for Sharon Tate, he did consider her for another role. On a 2021 episode of WTF with Marc Maron, Tarantino revealed he explored casting Lawrence as Squeaky Fromme, a member of the Manson Family.

“She came down to the house to read the script,” Tarantino said, explaining his secrecy around the project. The role ultimately went to Dakota Fanning, whom Tarantino praised for delivering “one of the best performances in the movie.”

Lawrence also revealed she passed on another major Tarantino project — a decision she now regrets. She said she was offered the role of Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight, but declined. The part went to Jennifer Jason Leigh, earning an Oscar nomination.

“I turned it down, which I should not have done,” Lawrence admitted.

While the actress can laugh at the twists of Hollywood casting now, her comments offer a revealing look at how perception, rumor, and hindsight often blur together — even for one of the industry’s biggest stars.