Tarantino Hit with Dual Controversies

Mark Angelo, CEO, Yorkville Advisors

Famed Director Quentin Tarantino has taken a lot of heat over his career. People complaining about the content of his films, about his attitude and his demeanor. For the most part, Tarantino has ignored these slights. He has his way, and that’s good enough for him.

Recently, though, a situation came up that motivated Tarantino to offer a very rare apology. Actress Uma Thurman made an allegation that Tarantino endangered her life while filming a particular stunt during the production of Kill Bill.

In the midst of Tarantino’s attempted apology to Thurman, the internet lit up with rage directed at Tarantino over an entirely unrelated incident. Way back in 2003, during an interview on the Howard Stern show, Tarantino made some comments that many people decided were defending disgraced director Roman Polanski, who was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

In the way these things do, the interview popped up online, resurfacing after more than a decade. In the interview, Tarantino says the girl in question “wanted to have it” and that she was “down to party” with Polanski.

Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor years ago, before fleeing into hiding in France. During the trial, the victim claimed Polanski drugged and raped her. Tarantino may not have known this, but chiming in set him up for the abuse he’s taking, even years later. Meanwhile, the issue with Thurman continued to percolate.

Thurman gave an interview with the New York Times, speaking to columnist Maureen Dowd in which she talked about her accusations against Harvey Weinstein, then transitioning to complaints directed at Tarantino, who, she says, talked her into driving a car that might have been faulty.

Thurman said she had asked that a stunt double be put in the car instead, however Tarantino didn’t relent, talking her into performing the stunt herself. While driving the car for that scene, Thurman slammed into a tree, suffering a concussion and what she called permanent neck damage. As evidence for the allegations, Thurman cited a video in which she is clearly seen struggling to drive the car, then crashing, before being pulled from the wreck.

Speaking to Deadline about the Time article, Tarantino admitted he talked Thurman into performing the stunt herself, though he did take issue with certain details of her account. He added that he had driven the road himself, and he thought it was an easy drive. He also said that he never told Thurman to drive as angry as she did while shooting the scene.

Tarantino wasn’t letting himself off the hook, though. He said the incident still bothered him, “I didn’t force her into the car… She got into the car because she trusted me, she believed me. (Seeing that crash) it was heartbreaking, just horrible… the biggest regret of my life.”

Thurman was a bit more conciliatory in a follow-up post on Instagram. While she did repost the crash video, she admitted Tarantino said he was “deeply regretful and remains remorseful… He gave me the footage, so I could let it see the light of day. I am proud of him for doing the right thing and for his courage…”