Last Updated:January 17, 2026, 14:21 IST

Jennifer Lawrence reveals she lost the Sharon Tate role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood to Margot Robbie.

Jennifer Lawrence lost a role to Margot Robbie.

Sometimes, even Oscar winners don’t get the role and sometimes, the internet has a lot to say about it. Jennifer Lawrence has opened up about missing out on a key part in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, revealing how online chatter may have played a role in the casting decision.

The actor recently reflected on losing the role of Sharon Tate in the 2019 film, which ultimately went to Margot Robbie. Speaking candidly on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lawrence said she had been in conversations with Tarantino but believes online criticism worked against her.

The 35-year-old said she was initially approached by the filmmaker before the role slipped away. “And then everybody was like, ‘She’s not pretty enough to play Sharon Tate…And then they didn’t,” she said.

Lawrence admitted she is still unsure how much truth there is to the story, but said the narrative has stayed with her over the years. “I’m pretty sure it is true. Or it’s that thing where I’ve been telling the story this way for so long that I believe it. No, but I’m pretty sure that happened. Or he just was never considering me for the part, and the internet just like went out of their way to call me ugly,” she added.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, released in 2019, featured a sprawling ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Sydney Sweeney. The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning over USD 377 million worldwide.

Set in Los Angeles in 1969, the film follows fading television actor Rick Dalton, played by DiCaprio, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth, portrayed by Pitt, as they navigate a rapidly changing Hollywood. The story unfolds against the backdrop of the Manson Family murders, which loom over the narrative.

Sharon Tate, whom Robbie portrayed in the film, was murdered in 1969 at the height of her career. She had appeared in films such as Valley of the Dolls (1967), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) and 12+1 (1969), and was widely seen as one of Hollywood’s most promising young stars at the time of her death.

Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Tate was widely discussed following the film’s release, while Lawrence’s revelation has now added a new layer to the casting story — and to the ongoing conversation around online scrutiny and beauty standards in Hollywood.