Before 'Elvis' and 'Caught Stealing,' Austin Butler Had a Crucial Role as a Real-Life Killer in Quentin Tarantino’s Masterpiece

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood has no shortage of unforgettable performances. From Leonardo DiCaprio’s neurotic Rick Dalton to Brad Pitt’s effortlessly cool Cliff Booth, the movie thrives on actors sinking into roles that play both with and against their established personas. Yet one of the film’s most important performances belongs to someone audiences barely recognized at the time: Austin Butler as Charles “Tex” Watson, the Manson Family member who leads the fateful home invasion in the finale. Before Butler transformed into a household name with Elvis, his brief but pivotal role in Tarantino’s film showed an early glimpse of his ability to completely disappear into a character. In a climax remembered for its shocking blend of brutality and absurd comedy, Butler’s Tex is the key ingredient that makes it all work. He plays the part with unnerving seriousness, grounding the finale in genuine menace and giving the chaos that follows its punchline. Without Butler anchoring the threat, Pitt and DiCaprio’s hilarity wouldn’t land nearly as hard.