Once upon a time in Cannes: DiCaprio, Pitt attend new Tarantino film

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie scattered some Hollywood stardust on Cannes' red carpet on Tuesday at the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's new film, an ode to the US movie industry.

The "Pulp Fiction" director is vying for the top Palme d'Or award at this year's film festival with "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", his ninth film. It made it to the competition at the last minute after Tarantino rushed to finish editing on it.

Tarantino, who arrived on the French Riviera last week and has been spotted at several screenings and premieres, hit the red carpet on Tuesday alongside his wife, Israeli singer and model Daniela Pick.

Margot Robbie poses in Cannes, southern France, on Wednesday. Valery Hache/AFP

"Once Upon A Time" centres on the lives of a TV star and his longtime stunt double.

In a message sent out by the film's promoters ahead of the premiere, Tarantino asked critics not to ruin it with any spoilers.

"The cast and crew have worked hard to create something original," the director said in the statement. (Reporting by Sarah White Editing by Frances Kerry)

The stars were aligned for Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio to put their dashing good looks to use on big-budget films, but both Hollywood golden boys have instead taken on more idiosyncratic career paths — especially in working with Quentin Tarantino.

And now for the first time, the actors are starring side by side in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood", which the American director screened on Tuesday to rapturous reviews at the Cannes film festival.

Both men have already starred in past Tarantino films -- the 55-year-old Pitt in "Inglourious Basterds" and DiCaprio, 44, in "Django Unchained".

Journalist Henri Behar (left), producer Shannon McIntosh, cast members of  the film "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at a press conference in Cannes. Sebastien Berda/AFP

The consummate urbanite DiCaprio was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of New Yorkers. As a pre-teen, he began pushing to do what he loved: act.

Pitt on the other hand grew up in rural Missouri in a family of devout Baptists. To his community's shock, he took off alone one day and drove to Los Angeles, two weeks before receiving an undergraduate degree in journalism.

Despite the age gap between them, they both began making splashes in Hollywood in the early 1990s.

Pitt set tongues wagging in 1991 with "Thelma and Louise" and DiCaprio hit the big time in 1993 with "This Boy's Life" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," the latter earning him an Oscar nomination.