Summary

• The Manson Family cast in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' features recognizable faces and big stars in small roles.
• Quentin Tarantino's movie delves into the dark side of Hollywood with the inclusion of the Manson Family in the plot.
• Young actors like Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler, and Maya Hawke found breakout success after appearing in the film.

The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Manson Family cast might not play as big of a role in the movie as the likes of Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, but it is filled with familiar faces. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino's ode to the movie business days of old with DiCaprio starring as Rick Dalton, a Western TV star who is worried about his career while Pitt plays his smooth yet capable stunt double Cliff Booth. However, one of the darker aspects of the movie is the inclusion of the Manson Family.

The Manson Family was a cult run by Charles Manson who were responsible for the murder of actor Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and several others in 1969. With Once Upon a Time in Hollywood taking place in that year and Tate playing a role in the movie, it is not surprising the Manson Family appears as well. Along with Damon Herriman briefly appearing as Manson himself, several recognizable actors are appearing as of the cult, with several of these actors becoming big stars.

Dakota Fanning

Playing Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme

Lynette Fromme didn’t take part in Sharon Tate’s murder, but she did have a criminal record. George Spahn, owner of Spahn Ranch, where the Manson family lived, gave her the nickname “Squeaky” and as mentioned in the film, she regularly slept with him. Fromme was later convicted of an assassination attempt on President Ford. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Fromme is shown to be something of a leader of the group and confronts Cliff Booth when he comes to visit George.

Lynette Fromme is played by Dakota Fanning, who rose to fame as a child star in films like I Am Sam and Man of Fire, and has taken on a variety of roles ever since. She appeared in the Twilight franchise, starred in the series The Alienist, and recently reunited with her Man on Fire costar Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3. Most recently, Fanning starred alongside Adam Scott in the Netflix series Ripley.

Margaret Qualley

Playing “Pussycat”

Margaret Qualley has the most substantial role as one of the Manson Family in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Her character of Pussycat is a composite creation: her nickname is based on Kathryn “Kitty” Lutesinger’s, but she’s modeled after Ruth Ann Moorehouse, both Manson family . Manson would constantly send Moorehouse into the city to seduce men with money and bring them to the ranch, just like Pussycat does with Booth.

Margaret Qualley has gradually risen to be one of the most in-demand and acclaimed young actors in Hollywood. Before her breakout role in Tarantino's period movie, Qualley appeared in The Nice Guys and The Leftovers. Since then, she has earned acclaim for her performances in Maid, The Sanctuary, and the Ethan Coen crime-comedy Drive-Away Dolls. Her new movie The Substance premiered to huge acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival.

Austin Butler

Playing Charles “Tex” Watson

Tex Watson was Charles Manson’s second-in-command and was involved in the murders of Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski, as well as Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Unlike other , Watson didn’t have a criminal record prior to ing the group. He is introduced in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as the cowboy-like member of the ranch who comes to inspect Cliff when he comes for a visit.

Austin Butler was previously best known for his roles in teen TV shows such as Zoey 101 and iCarly. However, his star has continued to rise following his Oscar-nominated role in the biopic Elvis. Butler continued to wow critics and audiences with his scene-stealing villainous role as Feyd-Ratha in Dune: Part 2 and appeared in the World War II miniseries Masters of the Air. Butler will next be seen in The Bikerriders alongside Tom Hardy and will Oscar winners Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix in Ari Aster's Western Eddington.

Madisen Beaty

Playing Patricia Krenwinkel

Patricia Krenwinkel was part of the group involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders, and following the death of Susan Atkins, she is now the longest-incarcerated female in the California penal system. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood presents her as the toughest among the group of would-be murderers who target Cliff Booth and Rick Dalton. However, she is subsequently brutally beaten to death by Cliff.

Along with Quentin Tarantino, Madisen Beaty has worked with some of the biggest directors of her time. She played a young Daisy Fuller in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and had a role opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. She has also appeared in Other People, The Clovehitch Killer, and she played Talya Banks in The Fosters, but Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is her biggest movie yet.

Mikey Madison

Playing Susan “Sadie” Atkins

Susan Atkins was another member of the Tate-LaBianca murder group. Like Krenwinkel, she was initially sentenced to death but was consequently sentenced to life in prison. She died in 2009. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she was the one who convinced the rest of the group to go after Rick Dalton instead of their original plan. Of course, that ends with her meeting a fiery end at the hands of Rick's flamethrower.

Madison was previously known for her role as Max in Better Things. Following Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she also appeared as one of the killers in 2022's Scream. Interestingly, her character had a similar death as in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Madison will next appear in the limited series Lady in the Lake starring Natalie Portman and just received rave reviews for her performance in Sean Baker's new movie, Anora.

Maya Hawke

Playing Linda “Flower Child” Kasabian

Although she was part of the group that went after Tate and company, Linda Kasabian didn’t take part in the murders – instead, as the only member of the group with a valid driver’s license, she drove the rest to Tate’s house and stayed outside the whole time, which was changed in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as she fled the scene. She was a key witness during the trial and testified against everyone in exchange for immunity.

Maya Hawke is the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Quentin Tarantino's frequent collaborator, Uma Thurman. However, she has quickly established herself as a star in her own right with a number of standout roles, including her big break as Robin in the third season of Stranger Things just as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released. Since then, she has appeared in the horror movie Fear Street: 1994, the teen comedy Do Revenge, Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, and Bradley Cooper's Oscar-winning Maestro. She will return as Robin for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.

Victoria Pedretti

Playing Leslie “Lulu” Van Houten

Leslie Van Houten was convicted for the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, which took place the night after the Tate murders. She was sentenced to death but was ultimately sentenced to life in prison. She has a small role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, shown giving some of the tourists in the area a tour on horseback through the backwoods near the ranch. Her acts of murder are not depicted in the movie.

She also played Love Quinn in the second season of You.

Victoria Pedretti has made a name for herself as a modern horror star thanks to her roles in Mike Flanagan's Netflix series. She earned acclaim for her performance as Eleanor “Nell” Crain in The Haunting of Hill House and went on to star as Dani in The Haunting of Bly Manor. She also played Love Quinn in the second season of You.

Lena Dunham

Playing Catherine “Gypsy” Share

Catherine Share wasn’t involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders but was convicted for trying to intimidate a witness against testifying during the high-profile trial. She later served five years in prison for armed robbery. She has completely disassociated herself from Manson’s family and now speaks out against cults. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, she is seen as one of the leading of the group, serving as a maternal figure to some of the girls.

Lena Dunham is best known as the creator and lead of the series Girls. The HBO series ran for six seasons with Dunham receiving multiple Emmy nominations for her acting as the main character Hannah, as well as her work behind the scenes. Dunham also recently directed the period comedy Catherine Called Birdy which stars Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott.

James Landry Hebert

Playing Steve “Clem” Grogan

Steve Grogan was sentenced to death for the murder of Donald “Shorty” Shea, a ranch hand at Spahn Ranch, where Grogan lived before the Manson family moved in. However, the judge stated that he was “too stupid and too hopped on drugs” to make decisions on his own, and was then sentenced to life in prison. He was released on parole in 1985. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Clem attempts to get the best of Cliff by slashing his tire, only to receive a beating and be forced to change the tire.

James Landry Hebert has had several small roles in films and TV shows, including Stranger Things season 2, where he played Axel. He has been a frequent star of Western projects recently having appeared as Slim Miller in Westworld, as the character Wade in Taylor Sheridan's 1883, and will be seen playing Flagg in Kevin Costner's Horizon: An American Saga.

Kansas Bowling

Playing Sandra “Blue” Good

Sandra Good is one of Manson’s most devoted followers. She was indicted for “conspiracy to send a threatening letter through the mail” and sentenced to 15 years in prison, but was paroled after serving 10 years. Unlike many of the other of the Family who have disassociated themselves with Manson and spoken out against him, Good continues to show her loyalty to Manson.

Kansas Bowling is also a director, screenwriter, and cinematographer, having felmed over 30 music videos throughout her career. Her directorial debut, B.C. Butcher was released in 2016. She is an artist with Lloyd Kaufman's Troma School of Filmmaking which is also where James Gunn got his start. She has recently completed another feature film in which she directed and starred in called Cuddly Toys. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood remains her biggest acting role to date.

Sydney Sweeney

Playing Dianne “Snake” Lake

Not much is known about Dianne Lake and her involvement in the Manson family. She is first seen in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood accompanying Pussycat and some of the other girls as they go into the city and begin looking for food. She is then later seen at the ranch where she serves as a lookout when Cliff comes to visit with Pussycat.

Sydney Sweeney made a name for herself as Cassie Howard in Euphoria and she also appeared in the acclaimed first season of The White Lotus as Olivia, earning Emmy nominations for both roles in 2022. Since then, Sweeney's star has continued to rise with several successful movie roles, making her a sought-after star. The success of her rom-com collaboration with Glen Powell in Anyone But You has led to roles such as a Christy Martin biopic, Ron Howard's Eden, and a remake of Barbarella.

Harley Quinn Smith

Playing “Froggie”

There’s no record of a Manson family member referred to as “Froggie,” nor is there any hint of the character being a composite of some real-life Manson Family , but Harley Quinn Smith had a small role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as Froggie. She does not have any lines to make her stand out in the group, but Froggie is seen with Pussycat and the others as they rummage through garbage in the city. She is then seen with the others confronting Cliff after his visit with George.

Smith is the daughter of filmmaker Kevin Smith and has appeared in a number of his projects over the years. After a brief role in the thriller Tusk, Harley Quinn Smith was given the lead role in a spinoff movie called Yoga Hosers alongside Lily-Rose Depp. She also appeared in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot as the estranged daughter of Jay (Jason Mewes).

Danielle Harris

Playing “Angel”

Angel is yet another character who is unknown if she’s based on a real person or not. She is seen briefly at the ranch when Cliff arrives with Pussycat. At Gypsy's request, Angel goes to find Tex and tells him to come keep an eye on Cliff. Interestingly, Angel is seen to be pregnant. While there are no known Manson Family who were pregnant at the time, in reality, Catherine Share aka Gypsy was pregnant when she was sent to prison.

Still, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is Danielle Harris’ return to big films after having mostly small roles in various TV shows and films as well as voice roles (most notably Debbie Thornberry in The Wild Thornberrys). Harris is mostly known for playing Laurie Strode’s daughter Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4 and Halloween 5, and Annie Brackett in Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II.

The Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Cameos Helped Lead To Breakouts

It is interesting to look back on all of the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Manson Family cast who, only a few years after the movie came out, are now big stars in Hollywood. Though these roles may have been small in the grand scheme of the movie, many of these young actors have gone on to huge success, with the likes of Austin Butler, Sydney Sweeney, Margaret Qualley, and Maya Hawke standing out as some of the biggest names in Hollywood right now.

While all these actors were already in the business, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood found them just as they were getting ready to break big. Sweeney was starting her run on Euphoria while Hawke had just made her debut on Stranger Things. Top Gun: Maverick to work with Tarantino, but his role as Elvis was right around the corner. In the case of Qualley, though she was already working, her larger role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood put her on a lot of radars.