UMA THURMAN BREAKS HER SILENCE ON WEINSTEIN ‘ATTACK AND THREATS’
▶ ‘Stunned and saddened’ film mogul admits making ‘awkward pass’ 25 years ago but denies physical assault
Uma Thurman, the American actress, has for the first time spoken about long-suggested allegations concerning disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, accusing him of attacking her and threatening her career.
The 47-year-old star, indelibly linked to Weinstein’s Miramax studio due to her roles in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, joins dozens of Hollywood women – including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale and Salma Hayek – in accusing Weinstein of acts ranging from sexual harassment to rape.
The scandal, which surfaced last year, has led to a deluge of allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media, forcing many industries to re-examine workplace policies. Thurman told The New York Times on Saturday of two incidents in London that took place after the release of the Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction in 1994. They followed an alleged incident in Paris during which Thurman said Weinstein, dressed in a bathrobe, led her into a steam room during a meeting about a script.
In the first alleged attack, in Weinstein’s suite at the Savoy Hotel in London, “he pushed me down, he tried to shove himself on me, he tried to expose himself, he did all kinds of unpleasant things”, Thurman said. She took a friend with her to confront the producer not long after, but his assistants put pressure on her to meet him alone.
Thurman said she told 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.”
Weinstein told the newspaper “she very well could have said this”.
Thurman’s friend Ilona Herman, Robert De Niro’s longtime make-up artist, recalled in the Times that the actress came out of that meeting “very dishevelled and so upset”. Ms Herman said Thurman told her that Weinstein had threatened to end her career.
Weinstein “acknowledges making an awkward pass 25 years ago at Ms Thurman in England after misreading her signals, after a flirtatious exchange in Paris, for which he immediately apologised and deeply regrets”, his spokeswoman said in a statement. “However, her claims about being physically assaulted are untrue … Mr Weinstein is saddened and puzzled as to why Ms Thurman, someone he considers a colleague and a friend, waited 25 years to make these allegations public.”
Weinstein is reportedly in treatment for sexual addiction. Until now, he has insisted all his sexual encounters were consensual.
His lawyer, Ben Brafman, said Weinstein was “stunned and saddened”.
Thurman’s comments to the New York newspaper “are being carefully examined and investigated before deciding whether any legal action against her would be appropriate”, Mr Brafman said.
The actress had suggested mistreatment by Weinstein in an Instagram post last November when she said: “You don’t deserve a bullet – stay tuned.”
In the Times interview, Thurman also accused director Quentin Tarantino of forcing her to drive an unsafe car during filming of Kill Bill.
In footage posted by the Times, the actress is seen speeding down a road before hitting a tree. Thurman is dazed for several moments until crew members carry her away.
“I felt this searing pain and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to walk again’,” she said.
“Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me.”
Tarantino did not respond to requests by the Times for comment.
Miramax told her at the time that she could see the crash footage if she gave up her right to sue, Thurman said. She declined.
Returning to the Weinstein claims, Thurman told the Times: “The complicated feeling I have about Harvey is how bad I feel about all the women that were attacked after I was.”
“I am one of the reasons that a young girl would walk into his room alone, the way I did.”
But fellow actresses were quick to express support for Thurman on social media, with Reese Witherspoon describing her story as “deeply upsetting”.
“Uma Thurman has seen the inside of our industry for 30 years,” said Jessica Chastain, who appeared in Zero Dark Thirty. “I have great respect for her. She is a warrior.”