Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio: Esquire's Summer Cover Story

As the director unveils his highly anticipated ninth film, Esquire sits him down with his headlining stars for a provocative three-way Q&A about Hollywood past and present.

Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio Take You Inside Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood Quentin Tarantino is in my face. He's smiling, polite. But still, in my face. Nose-to-nose like.   "Listen," he says, and he starts fast-twirling his index finger in a tight circle, like he's winding dental floss around it. "I've come up with a few questions that could be really good for you to ask." His voice is hushed, conspiratorial, but since this is Tarantino, it's also stage-whisper loud. And naturally, the words tumble out of his mouth with an urgency I would, in any other encounter, describe as Tarantino-esque. But in this case, that's redundant. We're on the patio of a house in the Hollywood Hills. A minute earlier, I was alone under the eaves, looking at Tarantino, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio standing near the pool, all of Los Angeles unspooling into the horizon behind them. For a moment, I found myself staring at the three of them, thinking, Well, damn. Don't exactly see this every day. I'm waiting for them to finish being photographed so that we can talk about how they came together to make Tarantino's new movie, Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood, and what they learned through that creative process. Today will be the first time all three of them have been in the same room since they wrapped production in November. For the past six months, Tarantino has been racing to finish cutting the film, to premiere it at Cannes. Still, he found time to phone me two days ago, to give me some backstory on the film's development. Yet it seems since then, he's also had time to think about what we could discuss. "But here's something important," he says. "I don't want it to seem like you are asking a question."   It occurs to me that Tarantino is, in fact, directing me on how he wants me to deliver my questions—my lines. When we spoke on the phone, Tarantino told me, "This film is the closest thing I've done to Pulp Fiction." What that means in tone and feel, I can't reveal. But what that means in terms of structure is this: Think multiple characters (some real, some imagined) and story lines that are seemingly unrelated . . . until they are not. Until they intersect and intertwine in surprising ways. This film, Tarantino says, is also "probably my most personal. I think of it like my memory piece. Alfonso [Cuarón] had Roma and Mexico City, 1970. I had L. A. and 1969. This is me. This is the year that formed me. I was six years old then. This is my world. And this is my love letter to L. A." Read the Full Story Every Rolling Stones Album, Ranked Like a lot of 20th-century bands still releasing music in the early part of the 2000s, The Rolling Stones have a problem of inverse longevity: The longer they exist, the less essential their new output is. But since the Stones have only occasionally been noted for their new work, including 2016's stripped-down Blue & Lonesome, it seems only right to revisit their two-dozen studio releases, which have arrived with regularity over the last 55 years. Read the Full Story This American-Made Timex Watch Brings a 165-Year-Old Tradition Back Home Timex is a part of the fabric of American culture. The brand's been around for 165 years, after all. A new batch of limited-edition timepieces is bringing the story back home. Here's why that matters—and why you should seriously considering investing in the American Document Series. Read the Full Story The Best War Movies to Stream on Netflix Right Now War is, as they say, hell. But the subject makes for very good movies. From gritty thrillers that examine the psychological effects war has on humanity, to action-packed spectacles that boast heroic figures, to romances set against the conflicts of battle, Hollywood has often used war-ravaged settings to tell some of cinema's best stories. Here are the best war movies you can stream right now on Netflix. Read the Full Story 5 Secrets to Throwing the Best Summer Party When it comes to entertaining at home, the little things are what your guests will remember. Go ahead and roast a whole lamb on a spit, if the grand, smoky gesture is how you want to welcome the warm weather. We're guessing the people at your party will savor the smaller touches: Good, warm tortillas. Fragrant heaps of fresh herbs. Cocktails served in glassware that doesn't date back to the eighties. A rare digestif that you rescue from the back row of the bar for a meal-capping flourish. "Go big or go home" doesn't make much sense when you're already home. Put your ego aside and rely instead on these smart, modest hacks from to make your party unforgettable. Read the Full Story You Can Have Your Own Pair of Brad Pitt's Cool-as-Hell Cannes Sunglasses Brad Pitt is an exceedingly cool guy. I mean, I don't know him or anything—though we can all get to know him a little better in Esquire's new interview with Pitt and his Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood buddies Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio—but the guy exudes an aura of general coolness. And he doubled down on that vibe when he hit the red carpet at Cannes this Tuesday wearing a pair of extremely stylish sunglasses. Read the Full Story   Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019