Quentin Tarantino delivered a fiery response to a journalist who quizzed him about his portrayal of women in his films.

When asked by a journalist from The New York Times why Margot Robbie - who plays Sharon Tate in his new movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - wasn't given many lines, the director, 56, quipped back: 'I just reject your hypotheses.'

Speaking at the photocall for the critically lauded flick at the press conference during Cannes Film Festival, the visionary's reaction to the question prompted Margot, 28, to note that 'a lot could be adequately done without speaking'.

Not happy: Quentin Tarantino, 56, delivered a fiery response when quizzed about his portrayal of women in his films during the press conference for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

The ninth film from legendary director Quentin is set in 1969 Los Angeles and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as television star Rick Dalton, Brad Pitt as his long-time stunt double and Margot as movie star Sharon Tate.

The movie depicts the shocking real-life murder of Sharon, the wife of director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha), at the hands of the Manson Family led by cult leader Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).

And following his short answer to the reason behind Margot's lack of lines, the blonde beauty was left to fend for herself.

She replied: 'I think the moments I was on screen gave a moment to honour Sharon. I think the tragedy was the loss of innocence. To show the wonderful sides of her could be done without speaking.

'I did feel like I got a lot of time to explore the character without dialogue, which is an interesting thing. Rarely do I get an opportunity to spend so much time on my own as a character.'

'Reject your hypotheses': The director wasn't happy when asked why Margot Robbie (pictured) - who plays Sharon Tate in his new movie - wasn't given many lines

'Wonderful sides without speaking': The visionary's reaction to the question prompted Margot, 28, to note that 'a lot could be adequately done without speaking'

Meanwhile, Quentin also stayed mum when asked about his portrayal of violence against women in his films.

It has been widely reported that Quentin choked Uma Thurman on the set of Kill Bill, and strangled Diane Kruger while filming for Inglourious Basterds.

However, during the press conference, he refused to elaborate on the topic as he didn't want to give away any spoilers for the movie.

Speaking to Deadline in February 2018, Tarantino defended himself against claims surrounding Thurman and Kruger, explaining that he was merely 'taking responsibility' for tricky shots.

Recalling his experience with Diane on set of Inglourious Basterds, Quentin stated: 'That was an issue of me asking the actress, can we do this to get a realistic effect?'

'And she agreed with it, she knew it would look good and she trusted me to do it. I would ask a guy the same thing. In fact, I would probably be more insistent with a guy,' he explained.

'Moment to honour Sharon': Following his short answer to the reason behind Margot's lack of lines, the blonde beauty was left to fend for herself

No spoilers: Quentin also stayed mum when asked about his portrayal of violence against women in his films

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is said to be a 'love letter' to the last moments of Hollywood's golden age and he considers the story to be a 'memory piece' about Los Angeles, the city where he grew up and that fueled his passion for cinema.

Other stars in the film include Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Damian Lewis, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Austin Butler, Lena Dunham and Margaret Qualley. In the film, the actors seem to be linked to each other in one way or another.

The early reviews of the period piece have been wildly positive as Daily Mail's Brian Viner called it a 'wildly enjoyable black comedy'.

He said: 'For me, his masterpiece will always be 1994's Pulp Fiction, but this isn't far behind, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt both on thumpingly fine form.

Plot: The ninth film from legendary director Quentin is set in 1969 Los Angeles and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as television star Rick Dalton, Brad Pitt as his long-time stunt double and Margot as movie star Sharon Tate

'The film takes us on a journey towards that terrible night, but on the way Tarantino is in incorrigibly playful mood and has enormous fun depicting certain fixtures of 60s Hollywood.

'There is also, this being a Tarantino film, a full repertoire of tricks – voiceovers, split-screens, slow-mo, flashbacks. But they all add to the fun.

'Tarantino recreates the era exquisitely and in a way has made the film a love-letter to his own square-eyed childhood.'

The film will be released in the US on July 26 2019 and the UK on August 15 2019.