Roman Polanski's Wife Emmanuelle Seigner Chastised Quentin Tarantino for 'Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood'

Actress Emmanuelle Seigner did not appreciate that her husband, Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski, is a character in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In... Hollywood.

In an Instagram post, the French actress and model rebuked Tarantino for including sensitive details of Polanski's life in the movie—which takes place during the summer of 1969 and deals, in part, with the murder of Polanski's then-wife, Sharon Tate, by Charles Manson's cult of followers—without first consulting Polanski.

"I am just saying that it doesn't bother them [in Hollywood] to make a film about Roman and his tragic story, and to make money with it, while they have made him a pariah. And all without consulting him of course," Seigner wrote.

The post was written in French, and excerpts were translated by Newsweek.

Margot Robbie stars in the film as Tate while Polish actor Rafal Zawierucha appears as Polanski. In August 1969, three members of the Manson Family slaughtered Tate—then eight months pregnant—and her friends Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger, along with teenager Steven Parent, who had just arrived at the house to visit his friend, the caretaker of the estate in which Tate and Polanski were living.

Prior to the film's scheduled debut at the Cannes Film Festival, Tarantino released a statement asking for those attending to avoid leaking spoilers. So, it is unknown how the director handles the killing, but Seigner's response may suggest that it's obtrusive enough.

Seigner has been married to Polanski since 1989. She shared the caption with an old photo of Tate and Polanski together.

With regard to her "pariah" comment, Seigner was likely referring to Polanski's 1977 guilty plea to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor after being accused of drugging and sexually assaulting Samantha Gailey, who was 13 at the time. He fled the U.S. while awaiting sentencing, and has stayed out of the country since.

Polanski had been on of Hollywood's most-respected young directors before the scandal, the visionary behind classics like Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown, and even though he has been unable to return to America without facing further legal trouble, he continued working regularly overseas, often with big-name stars, including Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Sigourney Weaver. Polanski has earned three Oscar nominations in the decades since fleeing the U.S., and won the best director Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist.

However, following the launch of the #MeToo movement in 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel Polanski, citing "ethical standards." Reports in April 2019 said that Polanski had sued to get back into the Academy.

Still, the 85-year-old director's films continue to find an audience and funding in Europe. Variety reported that Polanski's latest, An Officer and a Spy, had a budget of €25.5 million ($29 million). The film, which follows French officer George Picquart's espionage in the historical Dreyfus Affair and stars Oscar winner Jean Dujardin, screened for buyers in Cannes earlier this month.

At the media conference portion of Cannes, a reporter asked Tarantino about his view of Polanski. He replied: "I'm a fan of Roman Polanski's work, but particularly Rosemary's Baby. I like it a lot."

See Seigner's full translated statement by The Hollywood Reporter, below:

"How can you take advantage of someone's tragic life while trampling on them? Something to think about (I'm talking about the system that tramples Roman). A little explanation because I understand that people don't understand my point-of-view. I am not criticizing the film. I am just saying that it doesn't bother them [in Hollywood] to make a film about Roman and his tragic story, and make money with it… while at the same time they have made him a pariah. And all without consulting him of course. Let's judge the film as a good one, but the idea of this is bothersome."