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Brad Pitt feels Harvey Weinstein scandal and the Manson family murders impacted Hollywood the same way

WION Web Team
New Delhi Updated: Jan 30, 2020, 03:39 PM IST
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It has been 50 years since actor Sharon Tate was murdered by criminal Charles Manson`s followers. The case is part of Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio`s new movie `Once Upon a Time in Hollywood`.

Hollywood star Brad Pitt has compared the infamous Manson family murders, which took place in 1969, to the 2017 Harvey Weinstein scandal, saying they rattled and changed the course of Hollywood in the same way.

It has been 50 years since actor Sharon Tate was murdered by criminal Charles Manson`s followers. The case is part of Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio`s new movie `Once Upon a Time in Hollywood`.

Also read: Bruce Lee's daughter 'disheartened' with father's portrayal in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'

While promoting the film recently, Pitt and DiCaprio opened up about the massive impact the Manson family murders had on Hollywood and the parallels that can be seen today. 

Even though the murder took place about five years before DiCaprio`s birth, the Oscar-winning actor shared that his parents told him how Tate`s death affected the perception of Hollywood`s "Golden Age."

"When my parents described it, it was as the end of this idealized revolution," he told The Sunday Times in an interview published over the weekend. "My parents are still hippies, but it was the loss of this dream. As director Quentin Tarantino describes, you sort of portray this utopia, but there is mildew around the canvas that brought the darkness of humanity into play and ended a lot of my parents` hopes for how they could infuse that `love and peace` ideology into the rest of the world. It all sort of crashed and ended so much that some talk of it as a conspiracy. It was the total end of an era--immediately," he added.

Pitt, who was about 5 years old at the time of Tate`s death, also weighed in."People started locking doors again. We were coming off a tumultuous decade of assassinations and the free-love and civil rights movements, and, as I understand it, there was still hope. But when this hit? And even rich white celebrities were in danger? No one was safe. Even people living the dream," he said.

On being asked if anything has "rattled Hollywood" in a similar way, Pitt quickly responded."Harvey Weinstein," he said, later asking, "Can I say that?"After Pitt questioned whether his reply was in "bad taste," he was asked if he was referring to "a similar loss of innocence in a world that was cocooned and thought of in a glorified way."

"Like the Manson murders, it`s more that I think we`re getting recalibrated. But this time in a good way," Pitt clarified.

While `Once Upon a Time in Hollywood` is Tarantino`s ninth film, it`s his first film made without Weinstein as a producer. The two have collaborated in the past on several projects.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women over the years. He has denied any allegations of non-consensual sex levelled against him.

Weinstein was indicted in New York last year on charges of rape in the first and third degree, as well as criminal sexual act in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty in June 2018, and his trial is now set for September 9.