Sometimes, working in Hollywood can be dangerous. Moreover, things could turn even more deadly when it comes to stunts, where actors are purposefully put in danger. Even though every effort is made to ensure that everyone has practiced, unfortunate incidents do occasionally happen. Do you recall the Kill Bill stunt that the lead actress, Uma Thurman was forced to perform, during which she nearly died? That was not something to ignore.
Accidents on film sets often make the news. The media pay special attention when productions are halted and actors are taken to the hospital. One incident, however, largely went unreported until a star who had been hurt in that film made it public many years later.
To quickly recap: during the filming of Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino persuaded Uma Thurman to drive a car on her own.
Thurman explained in a detailed interview with The New York Times in 2018 that Tarantino’s insistence that she should not use a stunt person resulted in her suffering serious injuries.
Uma Thurman Was Put In Danger By Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is one of the most celebrated directors in Hollywood. Being a visionary, he directed cult classics like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Nevertheless, despite his popularity, he often receives criticism for the way he portrays women in his films. While the rumors were unsettling, Uma Thurman‘s revelation regarding the director she collaborated with on Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill series was even more shocking.
In 2018, she claimed that Tarantino actually made her drive the car which later resulted in a serious life-threatening accident she endured. She obviously had a concussion, a harmed neck, and damaged knees from the car crash. Thurman declared (via The New York Times):
“Quentin came in my trailer and didn’t like to hear no.”
She further recalled:
“… He [Quentin Tarantino] was furious because I’d cost them a lot of time. But I was scared.”
She eventually managed to get a video of the collision, and the media outlet used it to go along with the story. In the video, Thurman’s car was seen leaving the pavement and colliding with a palm tree. According to the actress:
“When I came back from the hospital in a neck brace with my knees damaged and a large massive egg on my head and a concussion … Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me.”
Quentin Tarantino’s Explanations of Uma Thurman’s Claims
Quentin Tarantino, who is most closely linked to Uma Thurman’s greatest successes, has been the target of criticism ever since The New York Times published her account of an assault. On social media, the acclaimed filmmaker, who directed Kill Bill: Parts 1 and 2 as well as Pulp Fiction, came under fire.
After Thurman made her revelations, Tarantino reportedly told Deadline that he had given her the video and had encouraged her to speak out. To quote him:
“[The accident] is one of the biggest regrets of my life. As a director, you learn things and sometimes you learn them through horrendous mistakes.”
When questioned about what it was like to see the star of his film suffer a crash, the actor replied:
“Just horrible. Watching her fight for the wheel…remembering me hammering about how it was safe and she could do it. Emphasizing that it was a straight road, a straight road…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. For a myriad of reasons.”
Despite Thurman’s survival, the incident’s long-lasting effects cannot be overstated.
Well, on the professional front, the actress and her real-life daughter, Maya Hawke, will work together for the first time in the upcoming dark comedy thriller, The Kill Room. The film will be in theaters on 29 September 2023.
Meanwhile, watch Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2, which are streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Source- The New York Times; Deadline
