Uma Thurman’s new interview with The New York Times highlights her complicated relationship with Quentin Tarantino, who she says confronted Harvey Weinstein after he allegedly assaulted her.
Thurman and Tarantino both agreed in the late 90s and early 2000s that she was a muse and creative contributor to the director’s films. She says that Weinstein also acknowledged and validated her importance on their projects together.
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“I knew him pretty well before he attacked me,” Thurman said. “It possibly made me overlook warning signs. This was my champion. I was never any studio darling. He had a chokehold on the type of films and directors that were right for me.
It was during the planning of more of those types of films that Weinstein revealed his true nature to Thurman. He attacked her in a London hotel room, trying and failing to force himself on her sexually. She ran from the room, and Weinstein and his staff later tried to confuse her into thinking it was a “misunderstanding.” She also claims that Weinstein threatened to derail her career if she spoke publicly about the accusations.
After that, Thurman says she had no recourse but to keep working on her slate of Miramax projects while privately considering Weinstein a dangerous enemy. Producers and other executives who worked with the pair of them at the time confirm that it was tense between them.
Thurman’s mistrust of Weinstein finally caught the attention of Quentin Tarantino at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. Tarantino reportedly asked Thurman why she was being so stand-offish towards Weinstein. He was concerned because all three of them were soon supposed to begin work on Kill Bill, a massive and demanding project. Thurman says that she reminded Tarantino of the incident in London. She says she had already told him about it at that point, but at Cannes, the gravity of it finally registered for him.
“The penny dropped for him,” she told The New York Times. “He confronted Harvey.”
She recalls the whole altercation taking place by the pool at the Hotel du Cap, where the festival was held. She says that Weinstein was surprised but defensive as she reiterated her experience in front of Tarantino. “At some point, his eyes changed and he went from aggressive to ashamed,” she said.
Thurman says that at that point, caught between a rock and a hard place, Weinstein apologized, with many phrases similar to those he used in October when the Me Too movement broke.
“I just walked away stunned, like ‘O.K., well there’s my half-assed apology.”
When contacted by the NYT, Weinstein confirmed that he’d apologized in 2001, which is a rare admission for the disgraced mogul. “His therapist must be working,” Thurman said dryly when the reporter told her what Weinstein had said.
