Uma Thurman, Quentin Tarantino and the costs of auteur worship - The Washington Post

Uma Thurman was on the last days of filming the vicious revenge fantasy “Kill Bill” when the film’s director, Quentin Tarantino, told her to perform a driving stunt herself. Told by a crew member that the car wasn’t safe, Thurman balked. Tarantino was “furious, because I’d cost them a lot of time,” Thurman told the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd in a devastating interview published over the weekend. QT, as he’s known to his fans, finally reassured her that the car was safe and the road was straight, but not without a dose of intimidation. “ ‘Hit 40 miles per hour or your hair won’t blow the right way,’ ” he threatened, “ ‘and I’ll make you do it again.’ ” She complied. Then she proceeded to crash the car, resulting in what she says is permanent damage to her neck and “screwed-up knees.” Thurman’s recollection of her “dehumanization to the point of death” was part of a larger story that included coercive, violent encounters with “Kill Bill’s” producer and Tarantino’s chief champion, Harve

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