Uma Thurman Claimed Quentin Tarantino Tried to Kill Her in a Car Accident
Director Tarantino once almost killed one of his favorite actresses, Uma Thurman, and as soon as she recovered from the hospital, she was livid with the man.
At this point, it’s nobody’s secret that Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman used to share a really close connection.
The director and his favorite star were great friends and colleagues, and the director even revealed that out of all people on the planet, he would only want to marry Thurman (which he obviously never did).
However, despite their fruitful partnership back in the day, the bond between Thurman and Tarantino ended, as well as their partnership.
The reasons are largely mysterious to this day, but out of many possible cracks that could’ve resulted in their break-up, that one time when Tarantino almost killed his favorite star stands out.
For one of the scenes, the director wanted Thurman to drive a car herself, without a stunt double.
The actress was terrified of that since she was no driver, but Tarantino was growing frustrated and kept insisting that she had to do it. Eventually, Thurman gave up…and this resulted in a terrifying car crash with severe injuries.
Apparently, the road wasn’t as straight as the director had claimed, and Uma lost control of the car on a sudden turn, crashing into a palm tree. She suffered a concussion, a harmed neck, damaged knees, numerous bruises, and other injuries.
“I felt this searing pain and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to walk again.’ When I came back from the hospital in a neck brace with my knees damaged and a large massive egg on my head and a concussion, Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me,” the actress told The New York Times.
The director was furious after hearing those words at first since he, too, was immensely stressed after the incident. Later, he was apologizing over and over to Uma Thurman and her husband. The director was devastated.
“Just horrible. Watching her fight for the wheel…remembering me hammering about how it was safe and she could do it. <...> It was heartbreaking. Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. For a myriad of reasons,” Tarantino shared with Deadline.
This terrible mistake could’ve cost Uma Thurman her life, and it was only understandable that her relationship with the director suffered tremendously after that. Thurman was terrified for her life, and so was Tarantino; however, it wasn’t her choice to drive the car, and the director still can’t forget himself for that incident.
Sources: The New York Times, Deadline