Highland Park residents torn over business impact of Quentin Tarantino film project

Highland Park residents are at odds over the impact that a week's worth of filming for the latest Hollywood project could have on their city and businesses.

It's rumored that Netflix is behind the production, a Quentin Tarantino written follow-up to the 2019 hit "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Fincher, who was given control by Tarantino though he wrote and directed the first film.

"It's a Quentin Tarantino project, and if you keep your eyes peeled you might see Brad Pitt," said Otto Dimas, a Highland Park resident who is one of many excited to see Hollywood return to his city. 

The production transformed one of the Highland Park's main thoroughfares, Figueroa Street, into a scene straight out of the 1960s, as Pitt reprises his role of beloved stuntman Cliff Booth. 

Not everyone is ecstatic about the cinematography, which calls for a five-day long two-block closure of Figueroa. It began on July 28 and is expected to last until Aug. 2, lasting from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. each time. 

"I have a 22-person staff, half of which relies on tips to pay their rent," said Matthew Glassman, the owner of the Greyhound Bar and Grill. He says that the money they received for impacts to traffic and parking weren't quite what they were expecting. 

"This is the neighborhood that 'Reservoir Dogs' was shot in 1990, so we want people to be shooting here. It just has felt like the people that have been working with us who seem to be, for all intents and purposes working in good faith, might not understand the impact that they're having," Glassman said. 

Dimas said that the film could bring a new crowd to Highland Park. 

"Think of it as free advertising to hangout in Highland Park, where it's the set of 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2,'" he said. 

Glassman said that there have been many films and television shows shot in Highland Park in the decade that he's been in the area, and that there's rarely communication between business owners and city leaders before the productions begin. 

Despite that, he did say that people working on the current production are some of the best he's worked with and that he's working to find other ways to get extra money to his employees for the temporary impact.