Uma Thurman’s Instagram Video Shows How Much Danger Quentin Tarantino Put Her In

by Sarah C. Epstein

Uma Thurman posted a video on Instagram yesterday of a car accident she suffered while filming Quentin Tarantino’s blood-drenched flick, Kill Bill 2. The video bolsters a New York Times op-ed by Maureen Dowd published on Saturday, in which Thurman detailed abuse she experienced from Tarantino and Harvey Weinstein.

In the expose, Thurman said that Harvey Weinstein assaulted her in the late 1990s, threatening to derail her career if she went public. Before the assault, Thurman had worked with Weinstein on Pulp Fiction and hadn’t yet begun production on Kill Bill, a Miramax film. She distanced herself from Weinstein, but completed both volumes of the blood-soaked flicks, informing Tarantino about the assault in 2001. While Tarantino apparently chewed Weinstein out — causing the Weinstein to deliver a half-hearted apology to Thurman — he continued to work with the producer.

Thurman and Tarantino remained friends until Tarantino violated Thurman’s boundaries and trust while filming Kill Bill 2.  Thurman says that Tarantino goaded Thurman into doing her own stunt, driving an unstable vehicle down a hazardous road. She initially refused, and it turned out to be a death trap — the car crashed, and Thurman suffered life-long damage to her knees and neck. Tarantino and the production company initially refused to release the footage to her, fearing a lawsuit. It took 15 years for Tarantino to give the video to Thurman. (In an interview with Deadline following the New York Times piece, Tarantino said, “I never talked to Uma about this, but I don’t exactly know exactly what caused the crash, and Uma doesn’t know exactly what caused the crash. She has her suspicions and I have mine.”)

In the New York Times piece, Thurman also details some cringe-worthy stories about the director’s actions on set, when he needlessly stepped in for actors in scenes that required spitting on her face and choking her.

Thurman’s version of revenge, however, is much more forgiving, and much less bloody, than her onscreen persona, Beatrix Kiddo. Following the New York Times article’s publication, she posted the crash footage on Instagram. Her caption reads as equal parts absolution and reprisal:

“The circumstances of this event were negligent to the point of criminality. I do not believe though with malicious intent. Quentin Tarantino, was deeply regretful and remains remorseful about this sorry event, and gave me the footage years later so I could expose it and let it see the light of day, regardless of it most likely being an event for which justice will never be possible. He also did so with full knowledge it could cause him personal harm, and I am proud of him for doing the right thing and for his courage,” she wrote. 

While Thurman may be more forgiving than Kiddo, she’s not backing down until justice is served for EVERYONE who wronged her: “THE COVER UP after the fact is UNFORGIVABLE. For this I hold Lawrence Bender, E. Bennett Walsh, and the notorious Harvey Weinstein solely responsible. They lied, destroyed evidence, and continue to lie about the permanent harm they caused and then chose to suppress. The cover up did have malicious intent, and shame on these three for all eternity,” she wrote.

Hopefully, Thurman will continue to embody aspects of her silver-screen doppelganger, as she exacts revenge on Hollywood bigwigs, gutting their careers and kicking ass.

 

i post this clip to memorialize it’s full exposure in the nyt by Maureen Dowd. the circumstances of this event were negligent to the point of criminality. i do not believe though with malicious intent. Quentin Tarantino, was deeply regretful and remains remorseful about this sorry event, and gave me the footage years later so i could expose it and let it see the light of day, regardless of it most likely being an event for which justice will never be possible. he also did so with full knowledge it could cause him personal harm, and i am proud of him for doing the right thing and for his courage. THE COVER UP after the fact is UNFORGIVABLE. for this i hold Lawrence Bender, E. Bennett Walsh, and the notorious Harvey Weinstein solely responsible. they lied, destroyed evidence, and continue to lie about the permanent harm they caused and then chose to suppress. the cover up did have malicious intent, and shame on these three for all eternity. CAA never sent anyone to Mexico. i hope they look after other clients more respectfully if they in fact want to do the job for which they take money with any decency.

A post shared by Uma Thurman (@ithurman) on

 

top photo from Kill Bill

More from BUST

Uma Thurman Said the Most Important Thing About Anger and Sexual Harassment

Why “Good Boys” Need To Stop Getting Away With All The Bad Things They Do

The “Silence Breakers” Are Time’s Person of the Year

 

You may also like

Get the print magazine.

The best of BUST in your inbox!

Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter

About Us

Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

©2023 Street Media LLC.  All Right Reserved.