Thurman hints at abuse in attack on Weinstein and his ‘conspirators’
Actress uses ‘me too’ tag for women sharing stories of sexual harassment as she promises to go public
UMA THURMAN has hinted she was a victim of sexual assault as she broke her silence on the allegations against the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The American actress suggested she was preparing to speak out about her own experiences in a message on Thursday evening, saying: “When I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say... stay tuned.”
Dozens of actresses, including Rose Mcgowan, Asia Argento, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cara Delevingne have accused Mr Weinstein of harassment and assault.
Mr Weinstein is reported to have paid at least eight women money to settle sexual harassment claims spanning two decades.
This month Thurman said she was too angry to share her thoughts on the slew of allegations that have rocked Hollywood.
However, in an Instagram post on Thursday night, the actress broke her silence, writing: “Happy Thanksgiving Everyone... except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators”. “I’m glad it’s going slowly – you don’t deserve a bullet,” she added.
Beneath a picture of a scene from the film Kill Bill: Volume II in which her character, Beatrix Kiddo, vows to go on a “rampage of revenge”, Thurman wrote: “I said I was angry recently, and I have a few reasons, #metoo, in case you couldn’t tell by the look on my face. I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so... stay tuned.”
The reference to the “me too” hashtag, which has been used by women to share stories of sexual harassment and assault, suggested Thurman herself has been a victim of abuse within the industry. When she was previously asked how she felt about women speaking out about their experiences of harassment, Thurman replied: “I think it’s commendable. I don’t have a tidy soundbite. I have learned, I am not a child and I have learned that ... when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself.”
Visibly tearful, Thurman told Access Hollywood: “So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry. And when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”
As well as the Kill Bill films, Thurman has starred in a string of films in collaboration with Mr Weinstein, including the 1994 film Pulp Fiction produced by Quentin Tarantino. She also worked on the romantic drama Beautiful Girls with Mira Sorvino, who later claimed Mr Weinstein made unwanted advances towards her. The movie mogul has denied engaging in “nonconsensual sexual conduct”.
Last month Mr Tarantino said he knew about Weinstein’s behaviour towards women for decades and felt ashamed that he did not do more to stop it, saying “I knew enough to do more than I did”.
The acclaimed director said he wished he had “taken responsibility” after hearing several credible stories from prominent actresses about Weinstein’s misconduct. He revealed that he
‘I’m glad it’s going slowly – you don’t deserve a bullet’
first learned about the behaviour when Miss Sorvino – his then girlfriend – told him that Mr Weinstein had harassed her and touched her inappropriately.
“There was more to it than just the normal rumours, the normal gossip,” he told the New York Times. “It wasn’t secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things.”
He added: “What I did was marginalise the incidents... Anything I say now will sound like a crappy excuse”.