Everything The Novel Reveals About Cliff

Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novel gives fans a deep dive into the background and mysteries behind stuntman Cliff Booth.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s novel features new details about the characters explored in Tarantino’s 2019 film, while also revealing much more about the mysterious stuntman Cliff Booth. The film is another of Tarantino’s reimaginings of history, putting 1969 Hollywood actor Rick Dalton and loyal stuntman Cliff Booth against the Manson family with the tragic Tate murders looming overhead. Though DiCaprio was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Rick, Cliff Booth emerged as the newest classic Tarantino character, which the novel only makes more apparent.

Played by an aging Brad Pitt, Cliff is charming because of Pitt’s looks, his go-with-the-flow demeanor, and unconditional loyalty to the struggling, fading actor Rick Dalton. While most of his time is taken up by driving Rick, trying to score a stuntman job on Rick’s new projects, and watching shows with his dog in his trailer, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sees Cliff get into hot water when he becomes infatuated with a young hippie girl. He eventually discovers her to be a member of the Manson family living on Spahn Ranch, leading to a vicious confrontation that historically targeted actress Sharon Tate.

The novel essentially shifts much of the focus from Rick in the movie to Cliff, revealing an abundance of backstory, personal anecdotes, and revelations left ambiguous in the film. While the movie Cliff puts on a relaxed, cool-guy persona who just wants to trip out on acid, do some stunts, and hang out with some Manson girls, the novel’s version of Cliff is much more complex. Here are all of the significant new details about Cliff Booth revealed in Tarantino’s new Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novel.

Cliff Killed His Wife

One of the most debated subjects following Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s release was whether or not Cliff actually murdered his wife. In the movie, many believe he did kill her, but because there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him, he got away with the murder. A flashback scene cuts to Cliff on the boat with his wife before the murder, where she is fighting with him to his clear annoyance. Though it's clear he's involved in her death, Tarantino leaves it ambiguous as to whether he actually meant to kill her or not.

Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood novel clears up the confusion, definitively stating that Cliff killed his wife, but on more of a heat of the moment instinct likely born from his time as a soldier. Cliff is immediately filled with regret when he sees his wife, who is now practically split in half by the impact of the spear. He sits with her and holds the two halves of her body together for 7 hours while they recount the story of their relationship. Cliff calls the Coast Guard, but once they arrive and try to move her, she falls apart and passes away. While it’s hard to believe a scene this gory wasn’t included in the actual film, it adds a lot more to Cliff’s character exploration, especially since his remorse didn’t keep him from trying to get away with the murder.

Cliff Was A Decorated WWII Hero

Not surprising when considering his physical abilities in fighting and stunt double actions, Cliff Booth was revealed to be a hero in World War II. According to Tarantino’s book, Cliff killed more Japanese soldiers than any other American soldier and took a morbid pride in the fact. His actions in war even earned him two Medals of Valor, which made him nearly untouchable back in the states when the nation considered him a war hero.

Cliff’s achievements in World War II make it so he can get away with almost any other crime, including the murder of his wife. Since he was a war hero and celebrated within the military, he was able to get around the implications of killing his wife, among others once he learned of his invincibility. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood novel explains that Cliff believes the amount of Japanese he killed in the war can offset the personal crimes he has committed afterward.

How He Got His Dog

Aside from his close friendship with newly revealed bipolar actor Rick Dalton, Cliff’s dog Brandy seems to be the only other individual with whom he has a genuine connection. A quaint scene in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s movie shows Cliff come back to his trailer home to feed his dog, make some boxed macaroni and cheese, and watch Mannix. He gives Brandy an ungodly amount of dry and wet dog food and has her trained to not eat until he has taken his own first bite. Brandy becomes much more vicious later in the film when she tears apart the Manson family members who attack Cliff and Rick, suggesting there may be much more behind her than just a loyal dog.

Tarantino reveals more about Cliff’s loyal pitbull in the novel, explaining that he got her on-set of a film in which she was the star. Cliff was given Brandy as a way to pay off a debt because she was valuable as a champion dog-fighter. Just when Tarantino couldn’t have made Cliff more controversial with realized murders, he makes him a supporter of dogfighting, even showing up to watch some of her fights. While this detail doesn’t help make Cliff a more likable character, it does explain some of why Brandy was so ferocious when killing the Mansons.

He Murdered Multiple People & Got Away With It

Not only did Cliff get away with his wife’s murder because of his war-hero status, but he also was never convicted for the murders of two Italian gangsters. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book reveals that Cliff shot two gangsters point-blank after realizing that he would get away with it. Just as he thought, he was never charged for their murders and found that he could go on committing crimes without any real consequences.

Tarantino's book reveals that the same fellow stuntman, Buster, who gave him his dog Brandy was also later murdered by Cliff. Buster had suggested that they cheat the game and let Brandy die in a fight, making more money by betting on the opposing dog instead. Cliff didn't like Buster insinuating that they kill his beloved dog Brandy, so Cliff killed him with his bare hands in an act of rage. Just as before, Cliff Booth got away with his murder.

Cliff Is A Cinephile

In Tarantino character fashion, Cliff Booth is revealed to be a cinephile in the style of Tarantino himself. Considering Tarantino started making films because of his deep adoration for classic cinema Westerns, kung-fu films, grindhouse, samurai, crime, and B movies, it’s no surprise he embedded his most inspirational films in Cliff’s character. One of Booth’s favorite directors is Akira Kurosawa, with his favorites of the director being Seven Samurai and Ikiru, which were responsible for influencing many Hollywood films to come. Unsurprisingly, Booth thinks new influential European directors like Swedish Ingmar Bergman, French Francois Truffaut, and Italian Federico Fellini are either boring or overrated.

Booth’s favorite actor is Toshiro Mifune, who was notable for his 16 collaborations with Cliff’s favorite director Kurosawa. He typically played the more villainous, unpredictable roles, though was notable originating the anonymous, wandering ronin archetype that would later be picked up by Clint Eastwood in Westerns and Spaghetti Westerns. Since Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is extremely intertwined with the Western and Spaghetti Western cinematic movements of the late 1960s, these roles and genres are right up Cliff’s alley. Though the revelation of his foreign cinematic expertise may seem more contemplative than one assumed from the film’s characterization of Cliff, it adds a sentimental piece that helps put together the puzzle of the stuntman.

Cliff Almost Became A Pimp

Before deciding to pursue life as a Hollywood stuntman, Cliff considered the path of being a pimp in Paris. Following World War II, Cliff was offered some advice from a Frenchman to think about becoming a pimp. The novel launches into some obscene, misogynistic dialogue that isn’t rare in Tarantino films, though further supports the idea that Cliff is a deeply morally questionable character. Thankfully for Cliff’s good buddy Rick Dalton, he passed on the pimping career and used his violent inclinations to make Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's Western TV shows instead.

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