CMU School of Drama


Monday, February 05, 2018

If Uma Thurman Is Angry at Quentin Tarantino, Why Shouldn’t I Be?

www.esquire.com: Thurman's revelations in The New York Times do not stop at Weinstein, as she also reveals a disturbing incident on the set of Kill Bill in Mexico. With four days left in production, Tarantino directed her to drive in a stunt car for the now-iconic scene in which The Bride delivers a searing monologue laying out her plan for vengeance against the man who has wronged her. A teamster on set, however, warned her that the car might be unsteady; she raised her objections, asking that a trained stunt performer shoot the scene in her place. Tarantino, Thurman has alleged, was livid.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I have never really felt the desire to watch a Tarantino film. Im a black person in a traditionally female body and so much of the violence, hate speech, and oppressive environment displayed in his work is directed at people like me in some form or another.
With that being said, this is the reason classes about Tarantino shouldn't exist. Clearly at least some of the work he produces is sadistic and self indulged. I find that most of the time people know what's best for them concerning issues of their own bodily health. Uma Thurman was trying to take care of herself and the fact that she was forced to do it even though she knew it wasn't the right move for her is very telling. This exposes a type of abuse committed by Hollywood directors that is not currently in the spotlight: the coercion these powerful men use to strong arm marginalized groups to do things they are uncertain of because it will be better for "the art".
I'm glad Uma Thurman brought this to light. I will continue to avoid Tarantino's movies in solidarity with this actress.

Ella R said...

Uma Thurman’s story reveals once again the power of influential men within the entertainment industry. Just because a director wants something for “the shot” doesn't mean that is is safe. Putting an actress in danger, so much so that she gets injured, has no justification. In addition, Quentin Tarantino’s movies have a repetitive storyline of violence towards women. To know that as a director, Tarantino did not care for the safety of his female actors, repulses me. Such a reputable director has the right to be a good example for people within the industry. It’s extremely disappointing to know that Tarantino did not respect or care for Uma Thurman’s safety during Kill Bill. Not only his disrespect for his actors, but his racism is another aspect that cannot be overlooked. Just because Quentin Tarantino's movies are good doesn’t mean his methods or his actions as a person are good. That also means that his actions off the screen CANNOT be overlooked.

Rosie Villano said...

I agree with this author, and while in the past I have really enjoyed Tarantino's film’s I cannot justify his choice to act out the violence on his female actresses. What reason could he possibly have to do this? It also disturbs me that he could not have his actress perform a stunt safely, because it shows a level of uncaring that absolutely disgusts me. If taken through the proper channels, putting a famous actress in even the slightest bit of danger is quite expensive. Could the production really not spare the money to make the stunt safe? I find it deeply ironic that a scene that was powerful for the character, was deeply harmful for the actress. It makes me sick to think that her sacrifice and success only benefitted her abusers, who also control her career and paycheck. As Ella said, it unfortunately this story highlights the ways in which men in Hollywood can take advantage of women and get away with it.

Jeremy Littlefield said...


There are a lot of issues here that should not go unrecognized. The problems of assault are utterly horrible, and no one should have to go through that. The problem here that I find not often discussed at this moment is when working with talent and making them do something that they feel uncomfortable with, and it could affect there life. In the theatre, this act of reassuring and making the performer feel safe tends to fall the head of safety usually the Technical Director. One must make them feel safe by making the thing they are doing as safe as possible. They need to be walked through all of the steps in the process that are there to prevent harm. Ample time needs to be given to this process. If anyone is trying to rush the process saying it will be fine, or if they feel unsafe then it must be stopped and another way needs to be found.