Brad Pitt Thought Leonardo DiCaprio’s Parents Were Extras on Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

A chance moment on set turned into an unforgettable laugh as DiCaprio’s dad and stepmom blended seamlessly into Tarantino’s 1969 world

Leonardo DiCaprio has shared a behind-the-scenes moment from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood that perfectly captures the film’s immersive attention to detail — and delivered a memory he says he’ll never forget.

In a recent interview with Time magazine, the Oscar-winning actor recalled inviting his father and stepmother to visit the set of Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 period drama. Dressed exactly as they do in everyday life, the couple blended so convincingly into the film’s late-1960s Hollywood setting that DiCaprio’s co-star Brad Pitt mistook them for hired extras.

“I remember that moment,” DiCaprio said, describing a scene outside the legendary Musso & Frank Grill. “We were turning a corner out of Musso & Frank’s onto Hollywood Boulevard and I said to Brad, ‘That’s my dad and that’s my stepmom there.’ And he goes, ‘Ha, ha. Yeah, right.’”

Despite DiCaprio’s insistence, Pitt remained unconvinced.

“I’m like, ‘I know they look like they’re extras in this movie, but that’s really them,’” DiCaprio said, laughing. “‘That’s how they dress every day!’”

The actor described the exchange as an “amazing moment,” one that has stayed with him long after filming wrapped.

DiCaprio later explained why the confusion was so believable. His stepmother is Sikh, while his father emerged from Los Angeles’ hippie counterculture and was closely connected to the city’s underground art movement in the 1970s. Their authentic, era-defining style made them a natural fit for Tarantino’s meticulously recreated vision of 1969 Hollywood.

Written and directed by Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows fading television star Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his loyal stunt double Cliff Booth (Pitt) as they navigate a rapidly changing film industry at the end of the Golden Age. The film also stars Margot Robbie, Austin Butler, Margaret Qualley, and Timothy Olyphant.

For DiCaprio, the anecdote is a reminder of how completely the film absorbed its performers — and even their families — into its world. In a movie celebrated for its authenticity and atmosphere, the fact that Pitt couldn’t tell real life from casting only proves how convincingly Hollywood’s past was brought back to life.