Dakota Fanning's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Character Explained (& What The Actress Said About Working With Quentin Tarantino)

Dakota Fanning has a small, but memorable, role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and the actress has spoken about her time on set and her relationship with Quentin Tarantino. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature film and fits in the same category as Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained as a historical film, but with a twist. In this case, Tarantino gives a retelling of the Manson Family murders but indulges in some warranted historical rewriting that ends with Sharon Tate's murderers on the wrong end of a can of dog food.

Stylistically, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is more similarly aligned with Pulp Fiction, however. It's told linearly, but it's separated into unrelated scenes and moments that serve to round out the colorful world and characters Tarantino has created rather than drive the story forward. This style means that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is filled with several wonderful cameos, including one by Dakota Fanning. Dakota Fanning was once a movie staple before taking a bit of a breather and has only recently reemerged as a dependable actress.

Dakota Fanning Plays Squeaky Fromme In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Squeaky Fromme Was A Real Life Member Of The Manson Family Gang

Dakota Fanning appears in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as a character named "Squeaky", based on the real Manson family member, Squeaky Fromme. She appears when Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) drives to Spahn Ranch with Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) and seems to be one of the leaders of the Manson family, at least while Charles is away. Cliff ignores everyone's warnings and approaches George Spahn's (Bruce Dern) home, where Squeaky blocks his way. After a tense stand-off that would lead to gunfire in another Tarantino movie, Squeaky relents.

Related Every Actor Cameo In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood's Manson Cult Once Upon a Time in Hollywood included Charles Manson's infamous "family" cult. Here are all the actors that appeared as part of the family.

She angrily allows the formidable Booth into her home and returns to her television watching. That's the last she's seen in the film, but Fanning leaves an impression. She is excellent at the Tarantino rapid-fire dialogue that's heavy on detail, and it never sounds unnatural coming from her. Fanning projects such seething rage and contempt even through a screen door. It's one of the most tense moments in the movie and it's thanks in large part to Fanning's performance, who is almost leaning forward, ready to pounce on Booth.

While Tarantino nailed the look, the characterization is changed from what many people have said about one of Manson's earliest acolytes.

Squeaky Fromme lives, and is currently out of jail after serving time for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. While Tarantino nailed the look, the characterization is changed from what many people have said about one of Manson's earliest acolytes. Fromme was often described as having a "perpetual smile" and possessing a "little-girl quality" (via LATimes). This is different from Fanning's hardened, suspicious portrayal in the film. It's said Manson did instruct Fromme to distract Spahn with her sexuality, which is referenced in the film.

What Fanning Said About Her Experience Making Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Fanning Always Hoped To Work With Tarantino

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Dakota Fanning had an excellent time making Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, saying that working with Quentin Tarantino was a career goal of hers (via Collider),

"A huge dream of mine was to work with Quentin Tarantino. I wanted that since I saw Kill Bill for the first time. And so having that sort of come true was a moment of this weird relief, you know what I mean? It was just one of those moments that was so exciting, and then being on that set... Quentin, his sort of childlike love, just genuine love of film and television just comes through in any conversation that I think anyone could ever have with him and it just rubs off on everybody on the set, and so it really was a moment of just remembering why this is what I’ve chosen to do with my life and that I do love it!"

She later went on to say about the experience,

"I was definitely nervous but again, even though it is a larger than life experience, Quentin really makes it very special and very intimate. He’s right there behind the camera and he’s worked with so many of the same people over and over again, which I also think is something that I’ve noticed that most of the greats do; they keep their crew very close and they’re all very loyal to one another and I think that’s really beautiful and seeing that camaraderie up close was really incredible and it made for a very safe environment."

The atmosphere on the set of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was clearly one that Dakota Fanning felt comfortable with. It's understandable how Tarantino can get such good performances in even the smallest scenes. He makes sure everyone is glad to be there, no matter the size of the role.