Over three years after first being cut from the film, Tim Roth is reacting to a potential Once Upon a Time in Hollywood extended cut. Roth and Quentin Tarantino have frequently worked with one another, going all the way back to the latter's feature directorial debut in 1992's Reservoir Dogs. Roth would subsequently appear in supporting turns in 1994's Pulp Fiction and 2015's The Hateful Eight.
Roth and Tarantino were set to reunite for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the filmmaker's love letter to the final days of Hollywood's golden age told through the lens of fading actor Rick Dalton, his stunt double Cliff Booth and rising actress Sharon Tate. Roth shot a cameo for the film, appearing as the English butler of Emile Hirsch's Jay Sebring, though as the reported four-hour cut proved too long to release, Roth's appearance found itself on the cutting room floor, among others. While Tarantino ponders a variety of avenues to expand his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood universe, one of his frequent collaborators is interested in one key expansion.
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While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss his Marvel Cinematic Universe return, Tim Roth opened up about being cut from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The actor shared some details about learning Tarantino sweetly informing him about not making the final cut and addressed a possible extended cut of the Golden Globe-winning dramedy. See what Roth said below:
I didn’t even know that he’d done an extended version of ‘The Hateful Eight.' When we did ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,’ it was just a cameo. I came and did a few scenes. He was so sweet about it when we talked, but the cut came out to be four hours long or something. So he had to make a decision about the characters he had to flow with, and so the other characters’ storylines, unfortunately, went by the wayside. All of those storylines were shot, so it’d be a hell of a fun thing to see. My son [Hunter Roth], who worked on it as an assistant, went to the screening at the Arclight, and he was like, ‘You got billing!’ It cracked him up because it said, ‘Tim Roth (Cut).’ (Laughs.) And that’s so Quentin. I actually love that. So if he does an extended version, that would be kind of weird and wonderful. It’d be something to see.
Talks of a Once Upon a Time in Hollywood extended cut have swirled the film first hit theaters, including a four-hour version of the film and Tarantino himself teasing the possibility of a Netflix release in the same vein of The Hateful Eight's extended cut. Tarantino last indicated that an extended cut of the film wouldn't be released for a few years in June 2021, while also saying that it would clock in closer to three-and-a-half hours and would instead be released theatrically. Though word on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood extended cut has since gone quiet, Tarantino has continued his work on the franchise, including a novelization of the movie's script, a second novel exploring Cliff and Rick's backstories and a potential spinoff show based on the in-movie Western series, Bounty Law.
While Roth's comments on a potential Once Upon a Time in Hollywood extended cut don't seem to offer much insight for its progress, or even whether it will come to be, his excitement at the prospect should be enough to keep audience interest alive for some time. Additionally, with Tarantino still having at least one more film in him before retirement, one can hope he and Roth get the opportunity for a reunion that doesn't end up on the cutting room floor in the future. In the meantime, audiences can revisit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood streaming on Fubo now.