Tarantino's Foot Fetish Takes Center Stage in Margot Robbie's Dirty Feet Scene

Margot Robbie has opened up about her dirty bare feet in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. One of the most memorable scenes in the movie takes place in a movie theater where Robbie's character, Sharon Tate, watches herself on-screen. As she enjoys the footage, her feet can be seen propped up on a seat, noticeably dirty. Tarantino's cinematic foot fetish is well-known, but the addition of dirt in this scene takes it up a notch. In a recent interview with Vogue, Robbie discussed her contribution to Tarantino's famous foot shots and explained how her feet ended up unwashed. Watch the video around the 5:24 mark to hear what she had to say.

"My character strolls into a cinema to catch a glimpse of herself on the silver screen. She nonchalantly kicks off her go-go boots and props up her feet, settling in to watch the movie. However, my feet were covered in dirt from walking around the set all day. To my surprise, the dirt remained on my feet in the movie. Quentin Tarantino insisted that they not be cleaned, stating, 'No, it's real. Keep it.' This is just one example of how Tarantino has unabashedly defended his notorious foot fetish."

There has been a great deal of discussion over the years regarding Quentin Tarantino's penchant for prominently featuring feet, particularly female feet, in his films. Many have speculated about why the director is so enamored with filming this specific body part. However, Tarantino has defended his decision to zoom in on feet, pointing out that he's not the only filmmaker to do so. In a 2021 interview with British GQ, he stated:

“I don’t take foot fetishism accusations seriously. Many great directors have featured feet in their movies as part of good direction. Luis Buñuel was the first to be associated with it, and even Hitchcock and Sofia Coppola have faced similar accusations.”

However, Quentin Tarantino has taken his fascination with feet to another level in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with reportedly 36 shots of his favorite anatomical feature. As he gears up for his tenth and final film, The Movie Critic, it remains to be seen how many foot shots he will include in the movie's runtime. With reports of Tarantino searching for a female lead, it will be interesting to see if Margot Robbie, who famously showcased her bare feet in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, will make a return to his world.