Over the weekend actress Uma Thurman came forward with her own #MeToo accusation against producer Harvey Weinstein.
The actress detailed in a New York Times interview that Weinstein assaulted her in a hotel, and while everyone was empathic and angry, nobody was very surprised.
A representative of Weinstein told the newspaper that Weinstein had apologised for misread signals at the time, but denied any harmful or illegal behaviour
In the same article, though, Thurman aims some of her accusations at director Quentin Tarantino.
Although she states that Tarantino went some way to confront Weinstein on her behalf, Tarantino was also at the root of a stunt-gone-wrong on the set of Kill Bill - a Weinstein-backed and Quentin Tarantino-directed film - and was thus not free of blame for the sort of male-bullying behaviour that we are now shedding a light on in Hollywood.
In the NYT article, Uma Thurman released some never-before-seen footage from the set of Kill Bill, that she explained shows her driving a car along a dirt road, only for it to crash, causing what she claims are related, ongoing injuries to her knees and back.
The actress also appeared to imply, in the article, that Tarantino was in some way to blame for both the accident and its subsequent cover-up, intimating that Tarantino coerced her into shooting the scene even though she'd expressed her discomfort and requested a stunt double to do the driving in her place.
Thurman states: 'Quentin came in my trailer and didn't like to hear no, like any director. He was furious because I'd cost them a lot of time. But I was scared. He said: "I promise you the car is fine. It's a straight piece of road."'
And the car subsequently crashed, as the footage shows.
This exposing of Tarantino's ostensibly coercive behaviour meant that Tarantino has also garnered criticism (alongside Weinstein).
He has now spoken out, with Thurman, to explain the issue.
In an article with Deadline Tarantino explains how the 'stunt' went wrong and vocalised his regret and remorse for not checking the track Thurman was to drive down properly, and pushing her to drive when she was not confident.
He explained how he felt watching his friend, who had put her trust in him, crash so violently:
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 believe 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.
Thurman has also explained in a social media post that it was in fact Tarantino who released the crash footage to her, for her to expose. She acknowledged the potential legal danger he has put himself in by doing so, since he was the director on set who pushed for the drive.
He explained why he sourced the footage for her:
'...there was an element of closure. She had been denied it, from Harvey Weinstein, being able to even see the footage. I wanted to deliver it to her, so she could look at it. So she could see it and help her with her memory of the incident.'
Tarantino also reiterated his position on Weinstein. Having had his own ex-girlfriend Mira Sorvino accuse the producer, as well as Uma who was his friend, he explains that, although he did confront the producer, he may have had an un-evolved position at the time, pitying Weinstein more than anything. Though, he does state that he thought Weinstein was lying to him when he denied the accusations.
Weinstein's spokesman has said her claims of physical assault are 'untrue' and that he is 'saddened and puzzled' about why his 'colleague and friend' has made these allegations now.
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.
