I have no memory of this happening, but I’m sure I heard about it at the time? So, back in 2017, Quentin Tarantino was casting for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Tarantino famously has a great eye for casting, and he was trying to find his “Sharon Tate.” The casting allegedly came down between Jennifer Lawrence and Margot Robbie. Margot got the job, although as it turned out, Sharon Tate was not some major role/character in the film. Well, why didn’t Tarantino choose J-Law for Tate? According to Jen, it’s because Tarantino was convinced that Jennifer wasn’t “pretty enough” for the role.
Jennifer Lawrence claimed she lost out on the role of Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood because of criticism of her looks. Back in 2017, fans were agog at the news that Quentin Tarantino was making a movie involving the Manson murders, and rumors started flying that he was trying to choose between Lawrence and Margot Robbie to play Tate.
Tate’s sister Debra broke her silence on the matter, flatly declaring Lawrence was ‘not pretty enough’ for the part and that she would prefer Robbie. Tarantino eventually did select Robbie, amid a cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margaret Qualley, Dakota Fanning and Austin Butler.
Now Lawrence, 35, has shared her own memory of how the situation unfolded, saying Tarantino ‘did’ want her for the part ‘and then everybody was like: “She’s not pretty enough to play Sharon Tate,”‘ during a recent event for 92NY.
‘That’s not true,’ said interviewer Josh Horowitz, to which Lawrence replied: ‘I’m pretty sure it is true, or it’s that thing where I’ve been telling that story this way for so long that I believe it, but I’m pretty sure that happened.’
The Hunger Games actress added: ‘Or he just never was considering me for the part and the internet just went out of their way to call me ugly.’
Back in 2017, when speculation was rife that Lawrence was up for the role of Tate in Tarantino’s film, Debra went viral for pouring cold water on the idea. ‘She’s not pretty enough to play Sharon,’ Debra famously pronounced in an interview with TMZ. ‘My pick would be Margot simply because of her physical beauty and even the way she carries herself is similar to Sharon.’
It’s true that Margot looks more like Sharon Tate, and it’s also true that at that moment of both Margot and Jennifer’s careers, Margot was a better fit for a supporting role in a Tarantino movie. Jennifer would have been more of a distraction, because she was SO ubiquitous at that time. It didn’t have anything to do with Jennifer not being “pretty enough” – Jen is beautiful, but yeah, Margot looked more like Sharon Tate. Still, it was rude as hell for Sharon Tate’s sister to say that about Jen, and I don’t blame Jen for nursing that insult and believing it was the reason why she didn’t get the part.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
-
- Jennifer Lawrence attends “Die My Love” Premiere during the BFI London Film Festival, at the Southbank Centre, Royal Festival Hall in London, England. UK. Friday 17th October 2025,Image: 1046345780, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NORESTRICTIONS, Model Release: no, Pictured: LFF- Die My Love, Credit line: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon
-
- Italy, Rome, October 20, 2025 – Rome 20th Film Festival. Red carpet of the movie ‘Die my love’ Pictured: Jennifer Lawrence,Image: 1047113960, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: **** World right excluding Italy ****, Model Release: no, Credit line: Fabio Mazzarella/Agenzia Sintesi/Avalon
-
- Jennifer Lawrence at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1065233450, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jennifer Lawrence, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- Jennifer Lawrence at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1065245204, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jennifer Lawrence, guest, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- Jennifer Lawrence at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1065256980, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: guest, guest, Jennifer Lawrence, guest, guest, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
-
- Jennifer Lawrence takes part in the Longines Ribbon Cutting Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence Where: New York, New York, United States When: 29 Oct 2025 Credit: Janet Mayer/INSTARimages.com
-
- Red carpet arrivals of the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 11 Jan 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- Red carpet arrivals of the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California Featuring: Jennifer Lawrence Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 11 Jan 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I too think it was pretty rude for Sharon Tate’s sister to say what she said. Both Jennifer and Margot are beautiful women and in Hollywood for women, thats half the battle.
Rude AF, but JLaw wouldn’t have pulled it off because you would have seen JLaw not Tate. Robbie did a great job. And honestly it’s important to be respectful of the role.
Margot was perfect for the role. As for being respectful of the role, QT wasn’t respectful of the Bruce Lee role. He disrespected him from beginning to end.
Agreed. Not only did Tarantino piss me off by going out of his way to disrespect Bruce Lee but made my butt go to sleep for well over 2 hours! Also, this may be splitting hairs but JLaw is pretty. Not really beautiful. Margot Robbie is IMO beautiful.
JLaw can be very glamorous when she brings it, but that’s not really the same thing as just being stunning on an average day, like Sharon Tate and Margot Robbie. I’m not here to defend QT, but I would have been really disgusted if the role of Tate was just farmed out to a marquee grabbing name and not carefully chosen. Robbie was the right choice.
Very rude but they have a different kind of beauty. Jennifer has a more Girl Next Door quality where Robbie is just insanely gorgeous. They’re both super attractive but ITA that Robbie was the better fit for that role.
Margot Robbie was perfect for the role. I loved how Tarantino changed Sharon’s ending.
QT is such a navel-gazing, insufferable a-hat who does not know how to keep his mouth shut.
And I get this is about the sister, but she seems to have taken her cues from QT.
Rude, maybe, but not inaccurate. There are different types of pretty. Jennifer is fine.
J-Law was simply not pretty enough to play Sharon Tate, who was world class beautiful. Sorry but these actors need to get over themselves.
I absolutely loved the movie, as a true crime aficionada.
“Sorry but these actors need to get over themselves.” Interesting that J-Law chose to be offended by something that was said by the bereaved sister of a beautiful woman who was killed in a gruesome murder.
Really. Go back to being a SAHM, Jen. I am not quite old enough to remember the murders but I have researched enough to realize it was a BIG event.
If J-Law is still having a snit over it, just stop it. Talk about arrogant. You’re pretty, Jen. You’re not in Sharon’s league which is OK because this is the Sophia Lauren, Liz Taylor, Bardot level.
It might be rude but it’s her sister she can say what she wants. I guess it’s the problem with all of these fictionalised real life characters that it’s kind of creepy in a way. They were real people with real lives and then it comes down to how much an actor looks like them or copied their mannerisms.
J. Law is pretty. Sharon Tate was heartbreakingly beautiful in an era largely without plastic surgery. I don’t judge her sister for saying that as it’s true. If she were my murdered sister I’d say the same. Margot Robbie was perfect. GTFO it Jennifer.
I don’t know much about Sharon Tate but was she considered elegant? If that’s the case, I think maybe there’s an additional implication in what the sister might have been trying to convey. I think Lawrence is a good actress, but she is kind of crass in interviews. I could see someone, or anyone, not picturing her as similar to their sister (if there was a close bond).
Crass – yeah, interesting take – Sharon Tate was ethereal and no one would ever call Jennifer Lawrence ethereal.
I’m not sure what to think of this.
The person who was cast was considered fine for the role. I feel it’s possible she would have lost the role regardless.
If someone says I wasn’t as pretty as someone considered extremely beautiful and related to the person saying it, I probably wouldn’t take it too badly. If someone said I wasn’t pretty full-stop (which some actresses have mentioned in interviews), that would hurt much more.
Oh wait…maybe she’s saying she got the role but the internet took it away from her? She’s never really clear..
Oddly, the guy is saying “that’s not true” so does he have insider info?
Good luck to the people playing JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. They’re in for the same from the internet.
I normally wouldn’t chime in on this, but since no one else has, I’ll say it: Margot Robbie is gorgeous, yes. She was gorgeous before she had plastic surgery, even. I’m not against surgery, I’m against people ignoring that it has occurred. Yes, she resembles Sharon Tate more than Jennifer Lawrence and so was probably the better casting.
That is not what bothers me. It bothers me that we’re still RANKING attractiveness when what is being compared is two gorgeous actresses. Yes, Jennifer is gorgeous too (yes, even with her surgery too – that doesn’t make her lesser, just like it doesn’t Margot), her beauty is just different than Margot’s. Not lesser – different.
At a certain point, it’s all just degrees. It sets unhealthy expectations for us ‘average’ people. I’m attractive, yes, but I am not Hollywood gorgeous. Does that make me lesser? I don’t think so. THAT is the problem here.
Acknowledgement of reality is all I’m saying here. Strike me down if you feel like it, internet, but this whole thing feels gross to me and I couldn’t not say it, just in case some young girl like I used to be sees this and thinks there is something wrong with her: there is not. You are normal. This conversation is what is not normal.