A 2003 interview with Quentin Tarantino has resurfaced in which he defended Roman Polanski by saying the director’s relationship with a 13-year-old girl “wasn’t rape.”
The recorded conversation Tarantino had with Howard Stern came to light in the wake of allegations that he forced Uma Thurman into a dangerous stunt on the set of Kill Bill.
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While speaking to Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers, the conversation turned to Polanski and the controversial story that in 1977 he was charged with “rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child under 14, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.”
“He didn’t rape a 13-year-old. It was statutory rape, that’s not quite the same thing,” Tarantino said. “He had sex with a minor. That’s not rape. To me, when you use the word rape, you’re talking about violent, throwing them down… it’s like one of the most violent crimes in the world.”
“You can’t throw the word ‘rape’ around, it’s like throwing the word ‘racist’ around. It doesn’t apply to everything people use it for. He was guilty of having sex with a minor,” the Pulp Fiction director continued. “She wanted to have it. Dated the guy… and by the way, we’re talking about America’s morals, we’re not talking about the morals in Europe and everything.”
After Stern questioned why a “grown man” couldn’t see that sex with a minor was inappropriate, Tarantino fired back, “Look, she was down with it and she’s talked about it. I’m right, she’s talked about it. Now she’s an adult, she’s got a whole other story.”
Someone then read a transcript of the victim’s testimony, and this did little to quell Tarantino’s bold defense, the Daily Mail reports.
“Of course she’s gonna say this because she knows she was in trouble with her mom,” the filmmaker said. “[Polanki’s] version sounds more likely, sounds really really more likely.”
Tarantino has been at the center of controversy lately after Thurman spoke to journalists and alleged that Tarantino was upset about Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulting her, but that he later forced her into a car-stunt on the set of Kill Bill that she was told might not be safe.
Diane Kruger, who worked with the director on Inglorious Basterds, has had her name has surface in many of the ensuing news articles and she recently spoke out about it on Instagram.
“In light of the recent allegations made by Uma Thurman against Harvey Weinstein and her terrifying work experience on Kill Bill, my name has been mentioned in numerous articles in regards to the choking scene in Inglourious Basterds,” Kruger’s message began.
“This is an important moment in time and my heart goes out to Uma and anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault and abuse. I stand with you,” she continued.
“For the record however, I would like to say that my work experience with Quentin Tarantino was pure joy. He treated me with utter respect and never abused his power or forced me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with,” Kruger concluded.
