Austin Butler Injured by Pit Bull While Filming Once Upon a Time Scene
Austin Butler takes pleasure in performing his own stunts — but it sometimes comes at a cost to his body.
At 34, Butler reminisced about filming the memorable fight sequence in 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which features his character, Tex Watson, being subdued by Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth and his pitbull, Brandy.
“During rehearsals, he got me so good that he ended up tearing my rotator cuff,” Butler revealed to Men’s Health in the August 19 episode of their “Stunt School” series, sharing how the dog attacked him in a real situation.
“In that scene, I walk into the house with a gun pointed at Brad. Due to the camera angle, I had to hold the gun in my left hand,” Butler explained. “Then the dog was supposed to leap off the chair and grab my left arm.”
In rehearsal, Butler wore a sweatshirt, but mentioned that the team “wrapped my hand in leather so this 80-pound pitbull can latch on and pull at me.”
Due to the pitbull damaging his left rotator cuff, Butler had to switch arms for the filming.
“He was incredibly strong. So on shoot day, we did it with my right arm instead,” Butler explained. “I quickly learned I needed to grip tightly, or he’d tear my arm off.”
Fortunately for Butler, his stunt double, Braxton McAllister, handled the segment of the fight where the dog bites Tex in the groin.
Reflecting on it, Butler mentioned that director Quentin Tarantino originally envisioned the fight as “much longer,” as it serves as a crucial moment where Tex and his Manson Family collaborators inadvertently invade Cliff and Rick Dalton’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) residence instead of targeting the late actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie).
Brad Pitt is trading in his buzz cut for a new role. The 61-year-old actor was spotted sporting a long blonde wig while filming the sequel to 2019’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. He will reprise his character Cliff Booth, for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020.
“When we arrived, [Tarantino] remarked, ‘It wouldn’t be believable for you to be a skilled fighter,’” Butler shared. “Brad’s character is like a special forces operative, so if he couldn’t take you down quickly, it wouldn’t add up.”
The scene, referencing the 1969 murders of Tate and six others orchestrated by Charles Manson’s followers in Los Angeles, was shortened but still impactful. (Charles Manson, by the way, passed away in 2017 at age 83, serving nine life sentences for orchestrating the seven murders.)
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a dream come true in so many aspects,” Butler expressed. “I got to engage in a variety of exciting activities in this film.”
Alongside executing many of his own stunts, Butler relished the opportunity to ride horses — including a memorable scene that marked the beginning of his role as Tex.
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“On the day Quentin cast me, he shared, ‘I have this idea where you take off on this horse,’” Butler recalled, noting that what viewers don’t catch is that he’s “riding on concrete for a significant part of the take.”
Butler was informed that “horses don’t grip very well on concrete,” so the stunt team advised him to “take it easy” for the take, but then Tarantino arrived before they yelled “action!”
“I kicked that horse and we went as fast as we could,” Butler laughed, mentioning that his grandfather taught him to ride. “Seeing my grandfather’s smile made me happy.”
