Thurman details Weinstein ‘pass’

UNITED STATES: Uma Thurman was the beating heart of the movies that made Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino famous.

But now the Miramax muse has revealed the cruel abuse and mistreatment she faced at the hands of the two Hollywood giants. In an interview with Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, Thurman opened up about the way Weinstein pursued her, reflecting a pattern of abusive sexual behaviour that has become all too familiar.

After starring in Pulp Fiction, the 1994 cult classic that helped to cement Weinstein’s reputation as a maker of credible independent films, Thurman got to know the producer and his then wife, Eve.

‘‘I knew him pretty well before he attacked me,’’ she said. ‘‘This was my champion. He had a chokehold on the type of films and directors that were right for me.’’

A series of incidents derailed their relationship. First Weinstein brought out his infamous bathrobe while the pair were arguing about a script in a Paris hotel room. Dowd writes: ‘‘He told her to follow him down a hall - there were always, she says, ‘vestibules within corridors within chambers’ - so they could keep talking. ‘Then I followed him through a door and it was a steam room. And I was standing there in my full black leather outfit - boots, pants, jacket. And it was so hot and I said, This is ridiculous, what are you doing? And he was getting very flustered and mad and he jumped up and ran out.’’ Shortly after this, in his suite at the Savoy in London, he attacked her.

‘‘It was such a bat to the head,’’ she said. ‘‘He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me. You’re like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard. I was doing anything I could to get the train back on the track. My track. Not his track.’’

Weinstein attempted to make amends, sending a large, ‘‘vulgar’’ bunch of roses the next day. ‘‘They were yellow. And I opened the note like it was a soiled diaper and it just said, ‘You have great instincts’.’’ The pair had a meeting, during which Thurman warned Weinstein: ‘‘If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.’’

According to Dowd, a friend who was waiting for Thurman said she emerged from the meeting ‘‘really shaking’’ and revealed that Weinstein had threatened to derail her own career. The New York Times said a spokesperson for Weinstein denied that he had ever threatened her prospects, but confirmed that ‘‘Mr Weinstein acknowledges making a pass at Thurman in England after misreading her signals in Paris. He immediately apologised.’’

Although they continued to work together, including on the Kill Bill films, the pair’s relationship became distant and strained.

Thurman also revealed troubling details about her relationship with Tarantino. She recounted the filming of a driving scene in Kill Bill, which she told Tarantino she felt unsafe doing, asking for a stunt double to drive in her place. Tarantino insisted. The car crashed.

The pair’s working relationship was ruined - and the accident permanently damaged Thurman’s neck and knees. ‘‘We were in a terrible fight for years,’’ she said, describing her quest to get Tarantino to show her the footage of the crash. ‘‘What I participated in was kind of like a horrible mud wrestle with a very angry brother,’’ she added. ‘‘When they turned on me after the accident, I went from being a creative contributor and performer to being like a broken tool.’’ - Sunday Times