In October of last year, Uma Thurman made waves when she expressed her anger on the red carpet about the news of multiple women accusing Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault.
Though declining to speak in detail about her own experiences, she hinted that she had her own story to tell, when she was ready to do so.
She said to the reporter, 'I've learned that when I've spoken in anger I usually regret the way I express myself. I've been waiting to feel less angry. And when I'm ready, I'll say what I have to say.'
Slowly but surely, the 47 year-old has done just that.
Not long after her red-carpet moment, she shared a message on Instagram. Under a screenshot of herself in Kill Bill, she explained that she too was a #metoo survivor and have a special message to Weinstein:
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators - I'm glad it's going slowly - you don't deserve a bullet) -stay tuned
This weekend, it finally became clear.
In a New York Times article Uma chronicled her own story about her relationship with the film producer.
She explained that she was close with him after starring in Pulp Fiction, and believes his charm somewhat hoodwinked her, with his power playing a role in their friendship, 'He used to spend hours talking to me about material and complimenting my mind and validating me. It possibly made me overlook warning signs. This was my champion. I was never any kind of studio darling. He had a chokehold on the type of films and directors that were right for me.'
She claims that his sexually inappropriate behaviour started when they were fighting about a script. She claims, he came out in a bathrobe, took her down a hall and into a steam room. At which point, she explains that she said: 'This is ridiculous, what are you doing?'
She continues by stating that 'He was getting very flustered and mad and he jumped up and ran out.'
She says that the first 'attack' happened soon after that, in London, where she claims he tried to sexually assault her, 'It was such a bat to the head. He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things.'
A representative for Weinstein told the paper, 'Mr. Weinstein acknowledges making a pass at Ms. Thurman in England after misreading her signals in Paris...He immediately apologised.'
Thurman says she confronted the producer after this event, warning him, 'If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.'
She also claims that she told Director Quentin Tarantino about the alleged attack who in turn apparently confronted Weinstein. It was then that Thurman received an apology (Weinstein's rep confirms this), though she calls it 'half-assed.'
Thurman says she still holds guilt to this day for not speaking out sooner, and acknowledges her own complicity in the 'culture of silence' that many have said exists in Hollywood. She told the magazine, 'I am one of the reasons that a young girl would walk into his room alone, the way I did.'
She explained, 'I stand as both a person who was subjected to it and a person who was then also part of the cloud cover, so that's a super weird split to have.'
Thurman also used the article to detail that she was apparently raped by someone else when she was 16-years-old and that it has taken her a long time to understand how girls are conditioned to accept abuse from birth, closing the article:
'Personally, it has taken me 47 years to stop calling people who are mean to you 'in love' with you. It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.'
Through a spokesperson, Weinstein added that Thurman was 'a brilliant actress' and denied ever threatening her prospects. He acknowledged her account but said that they had 'a flirtatious and fun working relationship' until the incident in Paris.
The producer has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by a number of women, most recently Rose McGowan who has accused him of rape in her new book Brave, which he has called a 'bold lie'.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
