SALT LAKE CITY — “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” director Quentin Tarantino reportedly banned all cellphones from set while shooting the movie — a rule actor Timothy Olyphant said was one of the “greatest gifts that he gave the entire crew and actors.”
In an interview with HuffPost, Rumer Willis, who plays Sharon Tate’s friend Joanna Pettet in Tarantino’s newest movie, said she enjoyed having a chance to disconnect at work. In comparison, the actor said most sets are often dominated by cellphone use.
Instead, she found the cast and crew found more opportunities to talk and connect with each other.
It was amazing because we then just got to talk. You're talking with the wardrobe and everybody and just connecting more and being a part of the whole experience,” Willis said.
According to ABC Fox Montana, Dakota Fanning said she believes the policy likely stems from Tarantino’s high regard for filmmaking and mentioned that everyone involved in the production — including Brad Pitt — was required to turn in their phones.
“His sets are no-phone zones; everyone checks in their phone beforehand,” Fanning said. “I think, for him, it's such a privilege to make movies that the thought of looking at someone playing Candy Crush (while on set) is upsetting."
Olyphant, who plays real-life actor James Stacy, also said in an interview with Rich Eisen that actors and crew members could leave the set to make a phone call, but the repercussions for smuggling in a phone often led to Tarantino firing the offender on the spot, People reports.
Olyphant also confirmed the no-phone policy wasn’t about maintaining secrecy or preventing leaks. Instead, it was meant to create an environment focused on art and moviemaking.
“We aren’t going to be over there, doing some other thing. We are here, and this is what we are doing, and we are going to take it really seriously,” he said. ”Cellphone … out, done, you’re going home.”
According to a 2017 report from The Washington Post, a no-phone rule isn’t exclusive to “Once Upon a Time.” Tarantino, along with other directors like Christopher Nolan, have long-standing no-phone zones on set, and the policy is only expected to become more common.
“The way the human brain works, there's no such thing as multitasking," Nolan said. "It's a myth in intellectual terms. You process information linearly so when you look down at your phone, you are stepping out from the other conversation you're having."
However, some industry actors and filmmakers don’t enjoy giving up their phones for work — including “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who told The Washington Post he uses his phone to take notes and listen to music that helps him get into character.
"It would be a problem for me," Boseman said about phone bans on set. “To me, it's none of your business what I'm doing with it because it's a tool for work, so you can't ban my cellphone."