Movies

'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' Officially Casts Mike Moh As Bruce Lee

once upon a time in hollywood cast bruce lee
By Chris Evangelista

Here's a rumor that's officially been confirmed: Mike Moh is playing legendary martial artist/actor Bruce Lee in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Moh joins a huge cast of actors who are playing a mix of real-life figures and fictional characters. More on Mike Moh as Bruce Lee below.

Another day, another story about the constantly-growing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast. Mike Moh, who played Ryu in the Street Fighter web series, was announced as a member of the cast a month ago, but there was no official word on who he was playing. That didn't stop speculation, though, with many assuming the actor and martial artist would be playing Bruce Lee. Now, it's official: Moh is indeed playing Lee, per The Wrap. Moh dropped a hint about this himself last month, with a Tweet about Lee.

For Moh, this part is a long time coming. Six years ago, the actor uploaded a Bruce Lee tribute video to his YouTube page. Check it out.

Mike Moh Bruce Lee Tribute Video

And here's yet another Bruce Lee tribute Moh uploaded, from three years ago.

Bruce Lee Training Video 

I'm not familiar with Moh's work, but it's nice to see his commitment pay off. He's clearly someone who reveres Bruce Lee, and now he gets to play Lee in a movie. Just how big a part Moh has in the film remains to be seen. Will Bruce Lee be a major character in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, or just a brief background player?

Tarantino's movie tracks several characters in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969, while the specter of the Manson Family lurks in the background. In an excellent piece delving into what we know about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Lindsey Romain points out that Lee was a client of "Jay Sebring, a world-renowned hair stylist who was a major fixture in 1960s Los Angeles." Sebring was one of the five people killed by the Manson family in the infamous Tate murders, which also claimed the life of actress Sharon Tate. Sebring is a character in the film (played by Emile Hirsch), and as Lindsey points out:

"Sebring was an instrumental figure in Lee's career. An amateur kung fu enthusiast, he saw the tape of an exhibition Lee did in 1964, which he showed to producer William Dozier, a client. This led to Lee getting cast as Kato in the TV series The Green Hornet. After The Green Hornet was canceled, Sebring helped Lee find work teaching kung fu to Hollywood stars, including Steve McQueen and Roman Polanski. When Tate and Sebring were murdered in Tate's Benedict Canyon home on August 9, 1969, Lee was only a short distance away in his own neighboring abode. McQueen, on the other hand, was allegedly invited to dinner with Sebring and Tate on the night of the murders, but skipped when he ran into an attractive woman and spent the night with her instead."

Steve McQueen also appears in the film, played by Damian Lewis. Sharon Tate is played by Margot Robbie. Rumor has it that Tarantino also has Tate's husband Roman Polanski as a character in the film, but no actor has been announced for the part yet.

And now here's the part of the story where I provide you with the impressive list of all the actors in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

  • Leonardo DiCaprio as Rick Dalton, a washed-up Western TV star struggling to stay relevant in Hollywood.
  • Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Rick's longtime friend and stunt-double.
  • Al Pacino as Rick Dalton's agent, Marvin Shwarz.
  • Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate, the actress who was murdered by members of Charles Manson's cult. She also just happens to be Rick's next door neighbor in the film.
  • Burt Reynolds as George Spahn, the man who rented his ranch out to Manson. (Learn more about Spahn here.)
  • Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, and Michael Madsen, all in currently undisclosed supporting roles.
  • Timothy Olyphant, in an undisclosed role.
  • Damian Lewis as actor Steve McQueen.
  • Dakota Fanning as Manson Family disciple Squeaky Fromme, who later tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford.
  • Nicholas Hammond as actor and director Sam Wanamaker.
  • Emile Hirsch as Manson Family victim Jay Sebring.
  • Luke Perry as Scotty Lancer, who may or may not be based on a television actor of the same name.
  • Clifton Collins Jr. as a character named  Ernesto The Mexican Vaquero.
  • Keith Jefferson as Land Pirate Keith.
  • James Marsden in an undisclosed role.
  • Julia Butters in an undisclosed role.
  • Scoot McNairy as Business Bob Gilbert.
  • Mike Moh as Bruce Lee.

    • Once Upon A Time In Hollywood opens on August 9, 2019.

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