“ | I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business.
|
„ |
― Tex to Cliff Booth |
Charles Denton Watson Jr., also known as Tex, is the main antagonist in Quentin Tarantino's ninth film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. He is one of the four members of the Manson Family cult, who were tasked with killing every residents of Roman Polanski's house by Charles Manson. Tex was based on the real-life murderer of the same name.
He was portrayed by Austin Butler.
Biography[]
Background[]
Watson grew up in Copeville, Texas.
In 1960s he was introduced to the Manson Family, which he eventually became a member of.[1]
On the cult's headquarters, Spahn Movie Ranch, Watson would give vistiors trail rides around the area.
Meeting Cliff Booth[]
While giving a trail ride to a couple, Curt and Connie, Tex was asked by his fellow cult member Gypsy to examine an individual brought to the ranch by Pussycat, a Hollywood stuntman Cliff Booth. Unsuspicous of the guest, Watson returned to his horseback riding duties.
He was summoned once again to intervene in a brutal encounter beetwen Booth and Clem, but arrived too late, allowing Cliff to drive off the ranch.
Rick Dalton Home Invasion[]
During the evening of 8th August 1969, Tex, alongside Susan "Sadie" Atkins, Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel and Linda "Flowerchild" Kasabian drove to Ciello Drive with a mission to kill all residents of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate's home, assigned by Charles Manson.
Howerver Tex's car's noise attracted the attention of drunk Rick Dalton, Polanski's neighbour, whose rant forced the cultist to back the vehicle away from the street. After the crew realised the man that they had confronted was Rick Dalton, who used to play the leading role in a violent TV show Bounty Law, Atkins came up with a plan to murder him instead, killing a person who had "taught them to kill". Watson approved the idea and set off to Dalton's house with Sadie and Katie (Kasabian fooled them and deserted).
After breaking into the apartment, Watson met Cliff Booth (intoxicated with LSD) in the living room, whom he pointet his revolver at, holding the stuntman at gunpoint. Subsequently, as Tex was about to shoot Booth, he ordered his pit bull Brandy to attack. Despite suffering major injuries from the dog, Watson still tried stabbing Cliff with a knife. The attack backfired, resulting in Watson sustaining a stabwound to the leg and being knocked to the ground, where he would receive a fatal kick to the head from Cliff.
His two associates would also be killed in self-defense by Cliff and Rick.
Trivia[]
- Tex's fate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood differs greatly from his fate in the real world:
- In the movie, Tex alters his plans to kill Sharon Tate and chooses to murder Rick Dalton instead. However, in real life, Rick Dalton does not exist, so Sharon Tate was in fact murdered by the Manson Family.
- In the movie, Tex is killed by Cliff and Brandy, while in real life, he's still alive and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.
References[]
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tex_Watson#Introduction to Manson Family. Nothing in the film suggest that this version of Tex met the Manson Family under different circumstances then his real-life counterpart.