The director called it ‘the biggest regret of my life’
Quentin Tarantino has responded to Uma Thurman’s interview in the New York Times, where the actor detailed her experiences with Harvey Weinstein, the car crash on the set of Kill Bill, and the ‘sadistic flourishes’ of Tarantino.
Thurman shared how the director “persuaded” her to do the stunt on the 2003 film, which left her permanently injured. She also told the NYT how he spit in her face and choked her on set.
Speaking with Deadline, Tarantino said he was aware the story was happening: “Uma and I had talked about it, for a long period of time, deciding how she was going to do it.”
He said he was “happy” to hand over the footage of the crash.
Posting the footage of the accident to Instagram, Thurman added the caption: “The circumstances of this event were negligent to the point of criminality. I do not believe though with malicious intent.”
The video shows Thurman struggling with the car before crashing into a tree, where her knees jam up and she hits her head. She recalled her fear she would never walk again.
“None of us looked at it as a stunt. Maybe we should have, but we didn’t,” Tarantino continued. “I'm sure when it was brought up to me that I rolled my eyes and was irritated.
I heard her trepidation. And despite that we had set up everything in this shot, I listened to it.”
The director detailed that he had driven the road himself before, but asked Thurman to drive the opposite way to get the best light. He asserted no one on set was aware of the slight curve in the road, believing it was a straight road.
“It affected me and Uma for the next two to three years,” he said. “It wasn't like we didn't talk. But a trust was broken.
“The fact that she believed me, and I literally watched this little S curve pop up. And it spins her like a top. It was heartbreaking. Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life.”
The director also told Deadline that there are people Thurman wished to expose in the interview that had since “lawyered up", and so he had taken the hit. “The thing is, Uma had people she wanted to indict, for that cover-up,” Tarantino explained.
“I’m kind of left representing everybody.”
Thurman has since come out to say she is “proud” of Tarantino for releasing the footage, knowing the backlash he would face. She asserts that she entirely blames individuals like Harvey Weinstein for covering it up.