Uma Thurman landed the role of a lifetime after being cast as The Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s blockbuster flick Kill Bill. The flick was a major hit following its release in October 2003, generating a whopping $180 million worldwide and spanning a part 2, which hit cinemas in April 2004.
The second installment grossed another $160 million globally, showing clear signs that despite having already been deemed a Hollywood vet at that point in her career, Uma was still drawing impressive numbers at the box office.
But reuniting with Quentin, who she first worked with in 1994’s Pulp Fiction, came at a cost for the blonde beauty, who had just given birth to her 20-year-old son Levon Roan.
Thurman had already signed on to star in the action-thriller at the time, and with production dates already set in motion, the actress knew she ultimately had to lose the baby weight she gained during pregnancy in a matter of months, which she has since revealed made the experience of wearing her famous yellow tracksuit miserable.
Why Did Uma Hate Wearing Her Tracksuit?
In February 2022, Uma Thurman revealed that she hated wearing the yellow tracksuit she’s often remembered for.
The iconic bright yellow skin-tight ensemble quite literally became the film’s calling card, but Thurman didn’t enjoy wearing it because she was still very insecure about her weight at the time.
Production commenced just months after the birth of her son, and since the Batman star didn’t feel she had lost enough weight to wear the outfit, it had subsequently left her feeling filled with “a lot of anxiety.”
During an appearance on the Graham Norton Show, she openly admitted, “I really didn’t want to wear the yellow tracksuit.
“I had just had my son and anyone that has just had a baby is not going to want to wear a skin-tight onesie, they would have a lot of anxiety.
She added, “So, there was a lot of training, a lot of work, and a lot of brilliant costume work (to) recreate the look of Bruce Lee while covering my belly.”
The first installment of the action-packed movies sees Thurman’s character seek revenge against her former associates who made a failed attempt at killing her and her unborn child.
Why Did Uma Thurman Diss Quentin Tarantino?
In a New York Times article in 2018, Thurman spoke out about her unpleasant time working with Quentin on Kill Bill after she was instructed to perform a stunt scene that almost ended fatally.
During the stunt, Thurman had to drive a convertible through a dirt road, with the camera shot being taken from the back of the car.
While she insisted that a professional stunt driver perform the task, Quentin allegedly “came in my trailer and didn’t like to hear 'no,' like any director,” she told the publication.
“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 ... Hit 40 miles per hour or your hair won’t blow the right way and I’ll make you do it again.’
“But that was a deathbox that I was in. The seat wasn’t screwed down properly. It was a sand road and it was not a straight road.”
Thurman also issued the Times with a video from the set of her driving the car. In the clip, her body is seen thrown violently as she collides with a tree. The actress is aided by her crew as she sits in a daze until Quentin finally arrives.
She is then seen being carried by a man off-camera as she held her head.
Did Quentin Tarantino Apologize?
Tarantino later responded to Thurman’s claims that he had “tried to kill her” by performing the dangerous stunt.
In a statement to Deadline, the Hollywood filmmaker said he felt deep “guilt” after requesting Thurman to take on a daring challenge that had put her life at risk.
He acknowledged his wrongdoing by asking her to perform the stunt even after she said she would prefer if a professional took lead instead.
“I am guilty, for putting her in that car, but not the way that people are saying I am guilty of it,” Tarantino said.
“It’s the biggest regret of my life, getting her to do that stunt. There are certain things I can’t get too far into the weeds on, but I will any questions you have about it.
