Brad Pitt brings Tarantino a recognisable presence that can sustain authority, humour and an ambiguous calm. Aldo Raine and Cliff Booth draw on those qualities from different positions: leading a group and working in the shadow of another man.
Separating direction from authorship of the screenplay
Brad Pitt's relationship with Tarantino scripts includes Floyd, his character in True Romance. However, that film was directed by Tony Scott. The distinction avoids turning any interpretation of a Tarantino screenplay into a collaboration under his direction. The connection exists, but it belongs to a different way of working from the one later developed in Inglourious Basterds.
In the 2009 film, Pitt plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine, leader of a group of American soldiers. Ten years later he becomes Cliff Booth, stuntman and collaborator of Rick Dalton, in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. They are two characters with experience of violence, although their jobs, aims and everyday relationships are not equivalent.
For Cliff Booth, Pitt won the Supporting Actor Oscar at the 2020 ceremony. It was his first acting Oscar, a necessary clarification because he had already received the Best Picture award as producer of 12 Years a Slave. Hollywood recognition therefore belongs to a specific category and stage in his career.
Star status matters in both roles. Viewers may associate Pitt with attractiveness, confidence or physical prowess before they know the character. Tarantino can work with that expectation and confirm it, exaggerate it or make it uncomfortable. The performance has to work both for those who recognise the public image and for those simply following the story.
Aldo Raine: group authority and the comedy of disguise
In Inglourious Basterds, Aldo presents a direct form of leadership. The way he speaks sets goals and expresses a confidence that does not depend on diplomatic nuance. Pitt uses a distinctive voice and posture to make the character identifiable within a large cast. The clarity of his presence helps organise the group without making him the film's sole focus.
The performance of Aldo Raine allows determination to coexist with obvious comedy. Confidence can remain even when the circumstances demand a skill the character does not possess. The contrast between what he intends to represent and what he actually achieves makes the artifice of disguise visible. Pitt sustains the character's conviction rather than explaining the joke to the audience.
The film therefore draws humour from an imbalance of abilities. Aldo can be effective in some contexts and clumsy in others, without one dimension cancelling out the other. The actor has to preserve a coherent identity through that variation. If the comedy were to erase his capacity for violence altogether, the tension of the later scenes would also change.
Leadership also introduces a specific relationship with his companions. Aldo does not need to reveal intimacy for the group to recognise his position. His instructions and reactions build practical authority. The performance concentrates visible traits because the narrative does not pause to develop a complete backstory: the character must be able to enter, guide a situation and leave a definite impression.
Cliff Booth: working behind a star
In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Cliff occupies a seemingly secondary position in relation to Rick Dalton. He drives, repairs and accompanies, as well as serving as his stunt double. Pitt plays someone whose everyday usefulness contrasts with the professional anxiety of his employer and friend. Calm here is not an order to the group, but a way of moving through tasks and encounters.
The character of Cliff Booth requires attention to small actions. Preparing food, looking after the dog or moving around the city makes it possible to build a routine without turning every moment into a confession. The performance finds continuity in the way things are done. The audience comes to know the character through his relationship with space and work as much as through what he says.
Cliff's calm, however, does not answer all the questions about him. The film introduces incomplete information and lets the appeal of his presence coexist with unease. Pitt does not need to signal that ambiguity constantly. Part of the effect depends on the viewer enjoying his company while noticing that enjoying it is not the same as knowing him fully.
The relationship with Rick allows for a division of energy. Faced with DiCaprio's agitation, Pitt can respond with economy and make a minimal reaction carry weight. The friendship is sustained through habits and services, but it also contains differences in status. Cliff helps maintain Rick's life, and the film allows us to see how much everyday work can fit within that availability.
Aldo and Cliff share physical capability, although the performances present it in different ways. One needs to make his authority visible; the other can let an impression of ease conceal the preparation. The collaboration between Pitt and Tarantino explores that difference between displaying power and seeming not to strain. The result depends on a recognisable star presence that each film places under a different moral and narrative light.
Back to the recurring Tarantino actors.