Sorry. No. Dont care. Not listening to all these older, HUGELY, BIGLY successful actresses as they shed their made for camera crocodile tears. Especially the white ones. Nope.
Enablers. She's not the characters she played. She doesn't actually wield a sword, or a gun. She did what she did to gain what most people go to Hollywood to gain; Fame and FORTUNE! It's only about the "art" when they make it - be it suddenly and early, or later - and can pick their roles.
The ONLY heroes are the ones who broke this story. Who did the immediate right thing. Not the practical, not the one about their pocket-books, the lucrative spokesperson gigs.
Being an actor is full out, 100%, choice. Its not being a hotel maid, with little to no education and questionable legal status. Or a recent college grad tossed onto the floor of the NY stock exchange, or a shady boiler room, or a police or fire department. Being an actor is not a necessary pursuit, its a vanity pursuit in most cases. Or one happened upon. No one NEEDS the commercial gig, to live...but they do need the commercial IF all they want to do is maybe, beat the odds and make it Bigly. And IF it means selling their bodies as props, as meat for a salivating audience - then so be the dirty-work to get there.
More then maddening are those actresses now coming out (add Paltrow!)who went into the "family business". Who had a network of support, who knew the casting couch was a real thing! Who knew of the creeps - and said nothing!
25
Hollywood may, in Uma’s eyes, be a slaughterhouse, yet when I hear that term my heart immediately goes out first to those four-legged types with the big brown innocent doe-like eyes who don’t burn their pizza boxes for all of us to breathe.
9
Perhaps it’s wrong of me to say, but this is the only account (out of all of them) that moved me, and had the ultimate ring of truth to it. Objective truth.
I’ve worked in the industry for 20 years. I’ve met the monsters including Harvey’s former senior VP, and many more. They’re a vile bunch. But the saddest part of this is the crash. Because we know what that means. Harvey was a lecherous loser but he could be handled if you’re an Uma. But the rest...well, that’s a much scarier story with multiple dimensions that really makes me wonder. The implications are extremely disturbing.
Uma is a unique individual. I’ve always liked her and clearly, so did audiences. Very sad that she had to deal with all this crap but she did, and she won. The two “gentlemen” who were great at making art by using and abusing people along the way. That still continues of course. But maybe not for long.
561
Hope that V.P. and some of Weinstein's enablers get slapped with lawsuits. Please testify if they do.
5
Yes Sean, it was wrong of you to say "this is the only account (out of all of them) that moved me, and had the ultimate ring of truth to it." 95-99% of the rest of were truthful as well.
23
This account pretty much proves that most of these "accusations" amount to nothing.
* Harvey made a pass at her. Such a horrible pass that she felt fine continuing a relationship with him. She even scheduled a meeting with him and had no issues with sending the assistants away and being alone with Harvey? Something doesn't add up.
* Tarantino had her drive a VW Bug. Wow... What a monster. If only he was there to press down on the brake pedal for the poor princess.
I mean, good gods, if this stuff is "assault", these ridiculous privileged celebrities get absolutely no sympathy from me. Nor will they get a single one of my entertainment dollars.
3
Use. Use her. Use anybody.
There’s a sad and disturbing belief on the part of people with money or authority that using people is an indisputable right.
Does it matter that the person used is paid handsomely? Does it?
384
Doesn't sound like she was used at all.
Harvey groveled on her for a minute.
From the sound of it, her and Tarantino had a very trusting and creative relationship. She was probably very enthusiastic on these sets when it came to getting great shots. NOW she's a victim?
I've lost every last bit of admiration and respect I had for this lady. No wonder she hasn't been working as much these days. She sounds dishonest and miserable.
4
Yes. Because people who are used and not paid well are even more vulnerable, and have even fewer choices, and get even less attention in articles like these. Let's stop focusing on celebrities all the time, for any issue, and instead begin attending to those who have nothing, yet endure just as much or more.
8
No it does not matter what they are paid.
3
I am sure she did open up. Oh you mean now? It would have carried a lot more weight had she been brave enough, or stood on principles when it happened. I guess going on with a movie career meant more to her though. So really just how important was it after all. Where I come from, girls that accept things for well, they have a name for that act.
5
I think this piece helps to underscore the downside of using celebrities to bring attention to problems like the subjugation of women in society. Does the #MeToo movement need another fabulously rich celebrity telling a sob story about how they were sexually harassed by other fabulously rich celebrities? These people knew very well that they were dealing with the devil and might be in for some dreadful experiences, but they also knew the rewards of success could be immeasurable. Thurman is now fabulously rich thanks to the likes of Tarantino and Weinstein. These people helped each other make movies and a lot of money. Whether the films were any good is beside the point -- she knew what these people were like and continued to work with them -- to great acclaim. Is that the message of #MeToo?
42
Did you watch the video of the crash?
Sexual harassment and assault is bad enough on its own. But it's the retaliation stage where the threat of death enters in.
Death to one's project, one's career, oneself.
8
Well, no, she didn't know what they were like -- until, too late, she found out. As for being rich, that may be true, but she also has a bad neck, bad knees, and a heart betrayed by exploitation.
6
Life is suffering. Life is transient. Life is interconnected.
5
I think Ms Thurman is a really good actress. She certainly dominates a screen, up there with Angelina. But from this article it is difficult to determine why she should be any more angry than any of the other women abused by Weinstein. She does appear to be quit capable for standing up for herself–more so than some of the other victims. Maybe the greater point to take away from this is that the women who really are capable of standing up for themselves don’t get a chance to move beyond the get-along-to go-alone wall erected by the industry powerhouses. The article is not very well written and obfuscates more than it clarifies. Sorry.
5
I've mixed feelings regarding Ms. Thurman's story.
While no doubt cathartic for her to get it off her chest, it strikes me as falling into the 'better late than never' department. I don't say this to come off as unsympathetic, her pain is evident in Ms. Dowd's well-written piece. But when a hundred others have come out before you, paving the way, showing courage, taking risk, I find it hard to be overly supportive of someone who only then finally decides it is safe to pull back the curtain.
That she chose to wait so long bespeaks a self-serving fear which ultimately may have led to many others experiencing similar pain at the hands of Mr. Weinstein, and those like him. I don't celebrate that as heroic. I save that for those that put it on the line to effect change. Some did as such when confronting similar circumstances. Others faltered. I feel for each and every one of them, but my admiration is reserved for but a few.
76
it seems like the compassionate thing is to respect that someone who was sexually assaulted and pushed into an unsafe situation despite her protests which resulted in enduring health problems and could have cost her life should be given the space to say her own piece about what happened to her and what her reflections are, in her own way and time without concern for your admiration. that's kind of the point.
37
Unless you've experienced the many traumas that Thurman has, which I haven't, it seems presumptuous to stand in judgement and declare her response lacking.
19
You have no right at all to judge when or how she decides to talk, in public, about traumatic violations against her.
None whatsoever.
29
An honest and intimate piece, thank you. Yet what continues to be missing for me are the questions surrounding why women like Uma (a seemingly strong and self-empowered woman) did not come forward publicly for all these years. I am not an actress in Hollywood, I cannot speak to the fear of career sabotage, but why are we not discussing this aspect in such an important article as this? The breaking of silence will ultimately be the biggest part of our collective healing and therefore we need to continue discussing why that silence endured. I would have liked to see an answer to that question in this otherwise well written and poignant interview.
71
The focus should not be on Ms. Thurman or on what she did or failed to do. She is the courageous survivor here. I am in solidarity with her and support whatever path she chooses to cope with the indignities that she endured in order to brilliantly pursue her art, her passion. She should not have had to endure what she endured. She is a unique talent. The focus should be on the creep who did these things to her and more so on all of those who facilitated Weinstein's criminal conduct by their conspiracy of silence! I am so sorry that Ms. Thurman's live has been so saddened by the sponges who so egregiously abused her and profitted from her incredible drive and talent. God bless you -- I hope you find some peace in knowing that so many good people stand with you.
26
Not just Hollywood, but many geographies of girl’s and women’s lives are infused with sexual assault and rape. It starts when we are children and is a slow burning fear and anger throughout our lives. After an assault, we abandon a part of ourselves. Rather than fight and anger, we disassociate (a useful psych term) such that we consign ourselves to being silent as we are abused again. Sexual engagement is often a reenactment of lost power. We become resigned, deadened with simmering anger and fear. Overpowered, the self is abandoned for the sake of getting away. Not a pretty picture: the manner of many years of many women’s lives. And that is why strong, intelligent, and independent women do not speak up.
19
The well written and introspective piece suggests a line of thinking that may lead to an "answer" to your question in the last paragraph. she says why.
9
It's hard for me to feel sympathetic toward someone who would willingly participate in such a vulgar, violent, and totally contentless movie like Kill Bill. I walked out of that movie feeling absolutely disgusted with everyone involved and made a point to never see another movie with Uma Thurman or anything produced by Quentin Tarantino ever again. She's doing a positive thing by telling us about her experience but she was an adult through all this and she could have taken her career in a better direction -- there are plenty of nice movies being made that do not feature gratuitous violence and tasteless raunch - movies with positive, intelligent messages. She made her choices knowing she was choosing to be with low class people and whether Weinstein owns up to being wretched or not, she might want to talk about her own poor choices in this, and how she might support better and more meaingful projects going forward.
8
I was recently victimized by a scammer. I think the subtext in this story is that it’s so easy to blame and castigate oneself when one is a victim, to feel that you are somehow complicit in the crime. It’s true that women are both biologically and psychologically prone to “be nice”, and compliant. If men are biologically and psychologically prone to proving and demonstrating their power, then women are often their victims. Rape is not about sex, it’s about power.
312
Re: "If men are biologically and psychologically prone to proving and demonstrating their power, then women are often their victims. Rape is not about sex, it’s about power."
First, what is men's power? Describe it. How exactly does it work? Please use concrete, real-life examples.
See: "Two quick lessons on 'power' in male-female relationships: What ideological feminists do not want women to know"
https://malemattersusa.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/a-quick-lesson-on-power-...
If rape is about power, that means women with power rape. Does that happen?
See:
"How We Waded Into The Sexual Harassment Quagmire -- Taking the Long, Hard Path Out: One Man's View" http://malemattersusa.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/the-sexual-harassment-qua...
Yes thank you for not saying anything and allowing this animal to continue to do damage to other young ladies you are a hero
8
When I was a teenager back in the late 70s, I went to a church school. One of the things that ensured I never kept a girl out too late was the threat of her father and or brothers. I remember bringing a girl home after lying about taking her bowling. She wanted to neck, and so we parked under a bridge for a couple hours. When I pulled into the driveway her father snatched open my door and, controlling himself, demanded to know where we had been. She protested his behavior and was ordered into the house. I was let go with a warning. I hate to imagine what would have happened to me if I had been abusive to her in any way. All the girls I dated in high school had these males protecting them.
All these women of the 'me too' movement have me puzzled. Where are the men in their lives? Why are these mashers not afraid for theirs?
13
There are countless numbers of girls and women who have not one man to protect or defend them. They are the most vulnerable of all women. All men should treat all women the same way they would expect their female loved ones to be treated.
3
Why would anyone consent to meeting a possible employer and contracting with him for a job in a hotel room? Hotels have meeting rooms for business. This is just too weird for me.
57
Not to minimize Mr. Weinstein’s offenses, and not to in any way to refute the horrors of the exploitations, but it is also noteworthy to point out that Mr. Weinstein made Ms Thurman very rich- her net worth is reported as $50,000,000 - extremely famous, and enabled her perks and benefits out of the reach of most people in the world. Her current boyfriend is a billionaire. Isn’t that a risk reward relationship she has, as a consenting adult, elected voluntarily to pursue?
31
Clearly all of these women made a decision at some point to further their careers by acquiescing to the advances of the men they now accuse of rape. Which, in turn, means that they and their accusations, are now a part of the culture that they condemn. That decision on their part makes it very difficult for someone like me to sympathize with them now.
33
I guess due process is no longer a right.
Feminism has made women stupid, vulnerable, and victimized. Feminist denial of real, meaningful, and impactful differences between the sexes has led women to dress/present themselves as hookers (tight, form-fitting, cleavage and leg-revealing outfits, eye makeup, hair down, high heels, etc.) in public, workplaces, schools, triggering the sex drives of any normal, heterosexual male between the ages of 12 and death, some of whom will be predators. Ignorant of the beast that is male sexuality, women are putting themselves in risky positions (alone in hotel rooms with males they hardly know). Feminism has told us that fathers aren't necessary, leading to myriad more males without proper examples of self-restraint that only a man can understand and inculcate. Progressivism has replaced moral absolutes with moral relativism and "if it feels good, do it." The self-esteem movement suggests that we are entitled to feel good regardless of our behavior, entitled to non-judgment, entitled to insulation from hurt feelings. Progressivism and Feminism are advances by Democrats. The brainwashed and brain-dead (Progressives) will dismiss these remarks as blaming victims and feel god about themselves as more girls and women are victimized. I guess we blame victims of burglary, theft, robbery by encouraging folks to lock doors and windows, avoid high-crime areas, and keep valuable out of sight.
6
Its very hard to think of Thurman as a victim when she returned over and over again ( by her own admission) freely for additional " abuse" The real heroes and those we should be looking to Eli are those who refused and ran, and lost their careers. Those are the victims not Uma who now can garner publicity and sympathy over her story.
10
Boy does your comment illuminate your lack of understanding of the environment, the options, or the pressures on women. She may have had contractual or financial obligations, like so many men have had. Perhaps she wanted to have some control over her destiny and having money certainly helps. Choosing poverty for some false sense of heroism is not the only choice and belies some romantic ideal about women's virtue. And finally, just because she "put up with oafish behavior" does not mean she approved, solicited, or was OK with it.
10
I'm a former GM engineer. The Karmann Ghia is a rear-engined car, which makes it prone to "oversteer" and, hence, very hard to control at the limit. Old air-cooled VWs and Porsche 911s before stability control were all prone to this condition, as was the Chevy Corvair, which Ralph Nader wrote a book about. Add in high speed to keep her hair blowing, a curvy road and soft surface and even a professional driver would have trouble handling it, though a pro might have been better able to recognize and articulate the danger. I doubt it was the setup of that particular car but rather an inherent challenge with that design.
24
Am I the only person who doesn’t quite understand this article? What actually happened?
We have Thurman saying Weinstein “tried” to force himself on her and “tried” to expose himself and did “unpleasant things” at the Savory. Yes, this is bad. But it’s not criminal. Later, there is a meeting in the bar with the make up artist, and Thurman is maneuvered into going alone into Weinstein’s room? Not clear. She remembers saying to him “If you do to other women...etc,” and then she remembers nothing. Is the article suggesting she was drugged? Does it not say this explicitly for fear of a libel suit? The make up artist remembers Thurman saying Weinstein had threatened her career, that’s all. But Thurman was disheveled and blank and upset- are we to assume she was raped after being drugged? The article begins by charging Thurman was raped, but no specific allegation of rape is made; even the unnamed actor in the beginning of the article is not explicitly charged with rape. I mean, why not just say it, if it happened?
Then we have the business with the car. She says she accused Tarantino of trying to kill her. Is that what we are to think? Or is it just a director trying to get a dangerous shot, and disregarding safety?
I feel like in this day and age, actual charges must be explicitly made, or we are in a dangerous unclear zone, where people are tarnished with a kind of general brush. If we objected to that in the McCarthy era, we must not allow it now.
208
Actually, trying to force yourself on a woman or put her in a dangerous position are both criminal acts.
That's like saying, "The guy tried to kill her but didn't -- where's the crime?"
16
Thank you. I had the same reaction. This article left me with more questions than I had at the start.
2
I sympathize with your main point. Yet the argument "If we objected to that in the McCarthy era" is too positive to be true. 'Popular objection' was little raised until *after* the McCarthy era.
The fact that mccarthyism took hold of US politics for almost ten years and could create so many victims, while receiving strong popular support even in the last year before its downfall, are indications that "we" really did not object that much.
As people, "we" are susceptible to political perversions of social movements; and all too susceptible to tarnishing those "we" don't like with a general brush.
For a long time, actual witch-hunts and tarring & feathering met with remarkably little 'popular objection', as did racism and antisemitism, which thrived on popular support. It was mostly *after* slavery was abolished and the Holocaust had ended, that most of "us" realized what perversions "we" had been capable of.
The question is: will we ever learn from those experiences? Or are we prepared to abandon the presumption of innocence once again, use mass media to declare people-we-dont-like as guilty, and have them outcasted without due process?
2
Two decades after she could have talked about her experiences and saved other women from the same fate, NOW she'll be called 'brave' for talking it up when it doesn't matter anymore.
But the glamor and money was good, right?
13
Of course, there are two sides to every story. I'd like to hear what Quentin has to say.
8
For me, that's gonna take a few days. I've learned my amygdala will, like a tiger's jaw, on to the throat of anyone who appears to have abused another until I can distinguish them from the one who abused me. Since I think my abuser was encouraged by others, Q fits his bill to the teeth.
Hollywood and the entertainment industry better take a good look inward and see that types of depravity they have been pushing on children and women, including their unwavering support for abortion, which devalues life and is a legal way for these men to clean up their misdeeds.
Pardon, but "bravery" is not waiting over 20 years to jump on a social justice bandwagon. People like Uma Thurman and Rose McGowan were complicit in perpetuating Weinstein's behavior, no doubt victimizing many other women through their years of silence. "Bravery" would be charging Weinstein with assault back in the 1990s, in spite of the damage to Thurman's career. But, like so many other Hollwood actresses, they held their tongues in exchange for fame and fortune; and that makes Thurman and other latter-day whistleblowers nothing less than Weinstein accomplices.
15
I don't think women keep silent for fame and fortune. Most women never go to higher ups when They experience sexual harassment or sexual assaults. Life is hard enough. They just tryto put these experiences behind them.
3
This #MeToo movement could have been a positive manifestation if it focused on ways to educate people what constitutes sexual abuse, how to avoid sexual abuse, and educated people what to do if they were abused. However, it has devolved into a Salem witch hunt/McCarthyism atmosphere where anyone accused, even from alleged transgressions years and decades ago, is considered guilty without proof, without due process, and without appeal.
I do not think of people who make these accusations without evidence as "victims" or "heroes," but as perpetrators and bullies who create a "mean girls" atmosphere, debasing the Western value of the presumption of innocence.
18
While I respect her and feel sorry for what she had to go through, I do not quite understand how she could go back after all this to finish Kill Bill 2. Useless, senseless, awful, horrible film, I am sure that the makers did not feel the same way when they kept cashing in. I got the DVDs cheap at a thrift store but I did not feel happy when I saw the posters in teenagers' rooms.
7
She helped develop Kill Bill. She had a lot of creative "ownership" over that film. If you don't like her character, you are talking about her work as much as anyone else's.
3
Needless to say, Weinstein's behavior was unacceptable both times, but why on earth would she or anyone else go back for seconds? Similarly unacceptable was Tarantino's putting her in that driving situation. Not just in that particular death trap, but even in a safer car. You don't even ask, much less coerce, a big-time actor to do her own stunts. No studio would allow it, nor would any insurer. That's been common sense for a hundred years. But why not, when presented with this numbskull idea, just say no? She certainly had the ability at that point in her career. It would have cost the director money? Well, that would've been his problem for not thinking this through earlier.
The sad fact is, many of us, male and female, don't say no when we should-- sometimes out of fear of losing out on something else we do want, sometimes out of fear of standing up to authority, sometimes out of fear of not pleasing someone. God knows I've failed to stand up and say no more than once, so I'm not throwing stones from a glass house. And maybe women, in a world where men hold most of the power, have a particularly hard time of it.
So how about, going forward, we start encouraging adults of both sexes and teaching boys and girls to pay attention to that inner voice, or inner knowledge, that tells us something is wrong and do as it tells us. We have to be willing to lose an advantage or act when we're frightened to protect ourselves. Without that personal guidance system, we're sunk.
38
I'm probably one of the few people who saw The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen in the theater. My then-girlfriend worked for Buena Vista and we got in free. The only thing I remember is Uma Thurman rising as Venus on the half shell. Where in God's name did they find HER? I thought. Honestly, I didn't think they made women that beautiful. I waited thru the credits to diccover her name. She probably should have stuck with the Monty Python crowd. Well, she was great in Pulp Fiction. The picture you have of her in the oldies place shows that. She brilliantly reflects flirtatiousness, and youth, perhaps reflecting the setting. As for sexual harrassment, I went thru it as a 20-something guy vs. a 55+ female friend-of-my-boss. Hey Uma, perhaps we could get together and commiserate.
2
Great script full of self pity drama for a overrichly and famous actress. But I look at my wife, I also remember the women in my past, and I do not see much resemblance. I guess we normal mortals cannot understand what goddesses have to go through. It is sad to see that those people with all their money will never grasp the simple meaning of what cannot be bought, what is gloriously authentic and totally free in this world: LOVE! Happy valentine's day.
9
Powerful. As a man still coming to grips with what this movement means for me, and what I can do to help, reading this helps me understand the complexity and depth of pain we have put women through.
When I talk to other men about this, there is a tendency to want to want to be more binary about these events. To find a single focal point of blame. Weinsten is a horrible person and that's an end of it, is the assertion. There is little room for a discussion about the system of enablers surrounding him... or the way that a man like Quentin Tarantino may have not been fully aware of his contributions, but SHOULD have been aware of it. And that just the fact that he should have been aware, even though he had no malicious intent, is reason to cast some blame.
We need to make room for a complex middle ground, where the factors at play go beyond one man and one woman in a room, and into work relationships, friendships and much more.
And we can't rely on every individual having the strength Uma has today. We know from this very article that even she didn't have the strength to fully confront this story until now.
Instead we have to be proactive. We have to be on the lookout for signs. We have to be willing to confront our own demons even if it means accepting some complicity in events.
17
"It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection..."
Really? Who teaches that?
29
Anyone who hits their kids teaches them that love is synonymous with cruelty.
1
Waaaay more than anyone needs to know about how rich people misbehave as they tussle over grand opportunities to get rich or have success.
7
We used to have a house in Woodstock, NY. Every Saturday, my husband and I would go to the Flea Market in the center of town. One day, Uma and Ethan were there with their baby daughter wandering around like us. We were taken by their sweetness to one another and their baby. I was so sad to read later, that they were divorcing. It only shows that things aren't always what they seem.
39
People have to work constantly on their relationship with the person they chose to mary. Some professions separate spouses for so long that the necessary rebuilding of relationships in such ordinary things as going to market together don't happen soon enough or often enough.
Leelee Sobieski met her husband in 2009. Leaving Glittertown gave them enough time together to see children as of primary importance, and their pace of life seems to have kept them together. Una Thurman deserves such happiness.
12
So because they got divorced, their sweetness was voided and they no longer wander around?
Nothing is ever what it seems, or rarely what it appears to be.
While I applaud Ms. Thurman for sharing her story, she is not brave. She has only come forward after many others have. She had the power to stop Weinstein at any time by making the incidents public and prevent other women from suffering at his hands. She instead chose to guard her professional interests. For someone of her wealth, it is hardly the sort of decision that would prevent her from living comfortably like the many working class women who truly must decide between feeding themselves and tolerating harassment. Speaking out now is just self serving.
28
So little empathy. Yes, Thurman rationalized away going public earlier in her career. But her career and life ain't over and her speaking out now carries risks, if not shame.
To err is human. All of us every day make deals with the devil, shrink from challenges. I too don't use my last name, Emma.
7
I continue to ask myself after each "story" comes out - why didn't you walk away? Was someone holding these women hostage. They subjected themselves to this abuse for the sake of their career. They were willing to take the money, glamour and star power that working with these horrible men brought to them. And now speak up only AFTER they got what wanted. Self serving is a mild term for their complicit behavior as long as they were getting theirs.
8
I find it horrifying to see how people allow themselves here to somehow still find a way to judge and blame victims of sexual assault.
Two things:
1. Most of the women who had to go through TOTALLY unacceptable abuse and tried to tell their stories one or two decades ago, weren't listened to at all, and that's why coming forward didn't change ANYTHING for the next generations of women. The problem here isn't that one or the other male individual behaved in a criminal way, the problem is that our Western culture has for centuries now made it IMPOSSIBLE for women to truly fight back and stop this kind of situations once and for all.
As long as you and I don't have the courage to see how WE are contributing to cultivating the same kind of ideas of what it means to be a man or a woman or to be in love, celebrities may have spoken out but ordinary women will continue to suffer in silence and nothing will truly change.
2. Being an actor or actress means having a job that is quite different from most "ordinary" jobs. Most actors never ever get to earn lots of money, even when you're exceptionally good at acting, so you cannot possibly decide to become an actor in order to obtain material wealth and "comfort". If THAT's you're motivation, you'll fail, by definition.
What's even more, all outstanding actors are people willing to push their own emotions so far that they're constantly working FAR away from their own comfort zone - and to do so, you have to be VERY brave ...
11
I think it’s really a mistake to take this in the direction of conflating Weinstein’s horrific behavior and crimes with a temperamental director and filming accident. “Violence against women”...by pushing her to do a shot that was dangerous and ended in an accident? It really cheapens the entire article, one that was engrossing and nauseating because of HW’s behavior.
21
It's an article about what Uma Thurman had to go through as an actress, in the hands of male directors and producers, and what they asked her to hide rather than making it public ... and the car accident was part of that story.
Each time, it comes down to the same thing: a woman telling a man where her limits are, and a man who prefers not to believe her and force her to do what she doesn't want to do, EVEN when it could cost her not only her dignity and self-respect but also her very own life.
THAT may not be fitting into your idea of "violence against women". It's real life though, so it may be a bit more courageous to try to understand it and deal with it rather than dismiss it as "cheap" ... ??
3
I believe Ms. Thurman. However, I would not characterize her as brave, but rather very close to complicit. Even after becoming rich and famous, she chose to remain silent. Now, after many weeks of silence, she chooses to tell her story in a highly contrived, theatrical manner. If rather than being a beautiful woman, she had been some low-level man who witnessed Weinstein's behavior and didn't come forward for decades, would he be called brave?
Also, the responses of Hawke, Pitt and other men who were made aware of Weinstein's and Tarantino's behavior come across as "sternly written letters." Neanderthal and patriarchal as it may seem, my father, brothers, husband and male friends would have responded in ways that would have made Weinstein and Tarantino think it ill-advised to continue these sorts of behaviors.
102
So, another big-time actress who went through these horrible experiences and kept quiet about them for many years in order to keep and advance her career. Hm. Now she speaks out. So brave, I guess.
38
One luxury hotel or apartment after another. Thurman's tale sounds like an oddly noir Noel Coward play. She frames her memories in surreal vignettes--corridors, gardens, saunas etc. God it all sounds so artificial and theatrical, like it's taken her a few months to polish it into a quirky indie film.
44
I also found Ms. Thurman's verbiage stilted and rehearsed. That DOES NOT make it any less true. Ms. Thurman has had a lot of time to decide how she would disclose this information. Can we look past the form and focus on the content?
1
Would it be more believable if it was cornfields, alleys, gyms, factory floors, bars? Your MI middle America life is not hers, should we not believe her because it was glamorous and not blue collar...when will women support other women.
2
Having control over your own life taken from you can cause one to overdo the controls. I bet she gets much more comfortable in her skin now we are all in on her jokes.
1
Uma was so angry that she continued working with him even after the first alleged assault? Now that really IS dedication to one's work in spite of all the physical dangers she was subjected to while making those films. While I absolutely do not condone any sort of assault by one person against another in any way at all, my reaction to reading this editorial was one of indifference at best and uneasy skepticism at worst, When powerful people such as Weinstein are suddenly, as with an avalanche, accused by one after another after another, one must ask why it took so long? After all, these are not poor women such as those we read about every day in the newspaper whose very lives would be put at risk by even the hint o her making a report detailing the assault but by powerful women who can easily mount a legal defense against their supposed assailant. Dare I say that any woman who voted for the current president might be a person who cannot distinguish fact from fiction? We HEARD a man lasviciously desire to connive sexual favors from a married woman based on his "celebrity status" and yet millions of women voted for him. I call it the "Log Cabin Republican Syndrome" i.e. an affliction disabling the ability to distinguish friend from foe and fact from fiction. So Uma is "angry"? If I thought that my spouse had been RAPED AND MANGLED I wouldn't be angry but rather filled with an uncontrollable rage for punitive actions against the villain and no repeat visits, thank you.
33
I've never seen a Tarantino movie, and I'm glad I haven't. It may be art, but it is also pandering to our worst side. Audiences have clamored for more action and violence over the years. The greatest films were made in a time when war ravaged the world and people needed relief from violence. Until we learn not to patronize evil stuff, we will be hostage to it and it will affect our own behavior.
170
Asa father of daughters I truly feel for Ms. Thurman. There is no "But" her. All of us have been led to situations in life when we were younger that our mature selves would not have done. We need to forgive ourselves, and bring to light those predators.
Maybe I'm judgmental, but nothing about Harvey Weinstein seemed harmless to me.
89
Can someone who knows automotive mechanics explain what was wrong with the car? It looked like she made a sudden turn and then tried to over-correct before hitting the tree-but who knows?
I’m just curious about whether the steering gave out-or exactly what caused the accident. Since she was injured, and hospitalized, I would think there was an accident report or insurance investigation of some sort that would shed light on why the teamster said the car was unsafe-and did he alert the director, or was he not required to do so? Is he the one who maintains the production vehicles?
I would just appreciate more clarification.
72
Tarantino and producers need to be sued for putting her life and health at risk. There are strict regulations about safety on movie sets and he violated a lot of them. I don't know if there is a statute of limitations but Tarantino is a dangerous film makers to actors both physically and it seems emotionally and mentally. Actors should stop working with him and Woody Allen.
89
Sad, and telling, that this is what we do today with a reincarnated goddess like Uma. I skipped "Kill Bill" but I loved her in "Be Cool" and that is how I always think of her. Thanks for the picture: she looks more beautiful, and fierce, than ever. There were times when many of us should have spoken out and didn't; I'm glad those times are over and that Uma has taken back her power.
55
Bravo, Ms. Thurman. Proud of your courage.
67
The real importance of the Thurman story is that it bridges the clearly criminal and egregious with the more subtle but equally damaging behaviors predators like these gentlemen exhibit.Such a "frame" should allow all of us to agree that this widespread problem should be tackled head on.It excludes the "I felt uncomfortable" category which remains controversial and therefore unlikely to move the needle.
29
The evolution of our species seems to be taking a leap forward. This is a great interview, and thank you. I think it's important to remember that it is our culture, fed by religion mostly, that started the whole male-entitlement mentality, and it is that mentality that created the monsters described in this piece. Young people seem to get it already, but for those of us upon whom it is dawning that the male-entitlement mentality has affected our lives in ways we haven't even been aware of, I think it's important to remember that it is that mentality, not necessarily men, that has to go. Of course those who committed criminal acts must account for them, but I'd hate for the wonder of this evolutionary leap to get lost in some revenge war.
34
I have always been a fan of Uma. But not the Tarantino films. I have always found them unnecessarily violent and unwatchable for my taste. Now I know why! Tarantino seems like a complicit enabler. Our world can do without portraying such deprivation. As for Uma, I am sure she wishes she had spoken out sooner. Many times, these experiences are unconsciously forgotten. That car crash is absolutely heartbreaking. I can see why she has stayed out of the limelight for quite some time.
48
I appreciate Ms. Thurman's willingness to share her story and her own complex feelings of rage, confusion, helplessness, and desire to have a meaningful, lucrative career without being sexually used or hurt as a humiliating pay-to-play. Essentially, from earliest age, regardless of age, class, or marital status, women are coached to be understanding, self-blaming second-class citizens, delegated to the roles of servant, nurse, mommy-to-adults, and/or prostitutes, and resistance in any form calls forth the carrot of money-freedom or threat of male power. Well-meaning men and women including parents also try to protect girls by helping them to be nice and pretty and good listeners. Boys don't receive this training. It's tiring and humbling to create and live life outside of the narrow social role for women. Hollywood can help by continuing to create and show men and women of different body types in a variety of story types that are not all marriage, rape/revenge, or murder tales. We also need more women on boards of all types and as CEOs/creators of many businesses. We need greater variety in our political leadership. Can we even imagine a role for women where they are not either objectified or glorified for beauty or cleaning up someone's mess?
69
She had felt a “greater good” in her work with Tarantino. Please, commenters, explain this to me as I am totally baffled, having seen his work.
Seriously.
73
The footage is horrifying, and one doesn't need to be a filmmaker to see that a stunt double could easily have done the shot. In light of that fact, it's really, really difficult to chalk that to Tarantino's 'vision' or pursuit of some kind of verite. It just makes NO sense to put Thurman to that task -- so much so that an admittedly cynical but certainly streetwise New Yorker such as myself can only conclude that something nefarious was accomplished.
52
Part of the comments here argue that if you're a successful Hollywood actress, you got tons of money and became so famous that that in itself should more than compensate for the sexual assault you had to endure as a woman.
The underlying idea is that once you acquired so much money/fame, you've achieved what everybody wants and what truly makes you happy, so starting to complain about what it took you to get there is a bit "cheap" (as some called it), compared to ordinary people who work hard but never got a fortune or fame in return.
The point that is missing here is that being an actress/actor means being first of all an ARTIST.
Today, the cultivation of anti-elitism by "conservative" media indeed constantly despises science and the arts. You can only fall for this kind of hatred, however, IF you've never been in contact with science or art yourself.
Being an outstanding actor, for instance, is only possible IF you give up all desire for money and fame, accept that acting is not about you as a person, and then learn to have the courage to explore your own emotions MUCH deeper than other people do, all while constantly expanding your own moral horizon in order to cultivate empathy for people who seem to be totally different - which then allows "the public" to get a more open, richer sense of reality and other people's lives.
Being an artist is a vocation. NO woman should have to endure abuse to be able to have access to a meaningful job. That's what this is all about.
58
I am pleased that media persons are speaking out. They have a visible platform. There is another visible platform where we have witnessed systemic sex harassment, mind you not in its worse form but still unnerving and angering in terms of what it reveals as this country's mindset.
Comments like "yet she persists" from the Republican Senate Leader are fraught with meaning. It was the mid-1990's before women could wear slacks in the Capitol and 2017 before they could wear sleeveless outfits. It literally took an act of Congress to get a Women's Room off the House floor. That happened in 2011.
We need to look deeper into the "Boys' Club". We need to be heard and we need to be listened to without interruption. She persisted and we have to persist as well. No more excuses and zero tolerance.
33
At the end of the day the women being harrased and/or abused need to step up to the plate and force a recognition of what took place. The media likes to throw words around like "brave". To me the words aren't important. The victims, and onlookers, have the obligation to step forward. If that doesn't take place you end up with what has taken place; abuse going on for decades.
Although there may be genuine fear of harming one's career if no one steps forward how do you think the problem will be rectified? That is truly the only answer there is if you wish to go after the abusers. Others must be informed of what is taking place.
9
The crash footage is horrifying. When they take her out of the car, you can see the driver's seat wobbling all around --- clearly at that point it is connected to the floor of the car by nothing but gravity. No wonder they didn't want to let her have the footage. I wouldn't either, if I had been criminally negligent.
41
Interesting story about the confluence between creativity, career aspirations violence, power and immorality. Uma tried to navigate those murky waters and keep her integrity. As we get older we learn more and more about others dark motivations and words used to hide their demons.
Harvey and Tarantino used her as a tool to achieve their ends while flooding her young naive head with sugar coated lies and compliments designed to get behind her guard.
Now with experience and age Ms Thuman sees their motivations and actions with a clear eye and stripped of all the Hollywood glitter and facade. Hindsight being 20/20 colors our present day and our future paths. The old "if I knew then what I know now" applies to all of us even famous actresses.
With public exposure of the animals lurking within the world of business, entertainment and all fields it might be easier for others to learn from the horrories visited upon prior generations. People like Weinstein, Spacy and others should be herded together with the very worst of our society. Isolation and being reviled are the best they should ever hope for.
16
I'm not entirely sure why Q. Tarantino's and Harvey Weinstein's behavior is paired together in the article. The former case sounds like that of a reckless director who was ignoring safety considerations. Bad, but a different kind of bad.
By the by, it seems strange that they could not have used a stunt double in the shot, as the camera only shows the back of her head. Oh well, I do know action movies sell. and stunts are part of the business. Jackie Chan would do his own stunts. It must have made the executive producers very nervous
19
I suspect that, just as it is impossible for a caucasian to walk in the shoes of a person of color, it is probably impossible for a heterosexual male to walk in the shoes of a female. Whether it is genetic, nature, nurture or circumstance, males are wired differently. Perhaps it is possible to program a male to fully understand all the time and suppress undesirable traits but perhaps not and males are destined to go off the rails occasionally?
12
I pray for a speedy recovery Ms. Thurman and thank you for speaking out and being brave to share your horror stories of your time with Weinstein!
8
I guess I should say I feel lucky that I’ve not been in a physically abusive relationship. Bit I was raised to let a verbally abusive parent terrorize me and to just “lay low” in response; to see my mother stay silent against her instincts. To be groped in fifth grade and stay silent; to go with boyfriends who wanted to do things sexually I didn’t want to do. I believe these experiences- along with a genetic predisposition- led me into alcoholism. Thankfully I married a wonderful husband who treats me with respect and also found sobriety nine years ago. As the mother of two young daughters I hope I can raise them differently- to stand up for themselves, to not accept disrespect, to see an abuser and not tolerate any part of it.
14
Thank you so much Uma for sharing your story. I am shocked by the all the victim-blaming hater comments on here. They show that we still have a long way to go. Thank you for doing your piece to help us evolve as a society.
24
They all used each other. Speak up. That can't happen, I guess there careers are more important than there dignity. You get what you pay for.
19
I have always admired Ms. Thurman based on her looks alone as the inner goddess I wished to be, rather than the short dumpy person I am. Now I can admire her for her courage in speaking out.
9
Compelling story. I'm glad that Uma Thurman is speaking up as well as other women. It's time for this way of regarding and treating women to end. On a separate note, I never like Quentin Tarrantino's films. To me they are sick, violent and sadistic. I could not watch Kill Bill and have avoided all of his movies since. Why they are considered great art is beyond me. I often wondered about what kind of person would be so obsessed with so much violence. I don't see such a person as happy or stable. Just my point of view....
12
I recommend:
"How We Waded Into The Sexual Harassment Quagmire -- Taking the Long, Hard Path Out: One Man's View" http://malemattersusa.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/the-sexual-harassment-qua...
This is an in-depth commentary that may be the most thorough analysis you can find of what I think has for many decades been the sexes' most alienating and destructive behavioral difference.
I believe this difference, supported by both sexes, results not only in most of the ordinary sexual harassment we hear of, but also in much of the sexual coercion of women.
It also addresses the question no one has ever asked: What happens when toxic masculinity meets toxic femininity?
2
Shouldn't this footage result in criminal proceedings against Tarantino and the film crew? Horrifying.
13
"I had really always felt a connection to the greater good in my work with Quentin and most of what I allowed to happen to me and what I participated in was kind of like a horrible mud wrestle with a very angry brother." Really, Uma?
I am glad you are speaking out, but the truth is why were you ever in such horrible, bloody, murderous movies that demeaned all involved, particularly women? I never saw the good and after Pulp Fiction, never walked into another sick Tarantino movie. It's a cute myth---do anything for art---but myth it is. Sadly, the "myth" of Weinstein and Tarantino has been deadly for far too many. Savageries of the human spirit.
23
Exactly how does Harvey's rehab atone for his behavior? The loss of his career on the other hand had meaning for him. But what's next? Dowe get press releases from his agents who should be in rehab themselves? Harvey "cured"!? "His doctors say he s o.k. to go back to work?" Is he planning a comeback? Maybe a movie starring himself as an American hero comeback kid? Hopefully, the words "never again" will be true. It wouldn't be Rocky. More like the "Night of the Living Dead"
7
Meryl Streep should have this kind Iof honesty about Mr. “W”.
This really shows the twisted power dynamic that festers in Hollywood.
5
Credibility is an issue here. This transactional person trades in violent and highly sexualized media and imagery.
10
The cesspool that is Hollywood. JMO, why are actresses and actors so desparate for fame and fortune that they are willing to compromise their own integrity, to kowtow to abusers, to work again with what has been revealed, to put themselves at risk, to keep secrets. Evil thrives in the shadows. The reason sexual predators thrive is because victims are complicit. Even in this instance, Thurman continued to work with two men who put her at risk - why? There will always be men like this, all we can do is control our response. Women have to do better, for themselves, and for our community. Weinstein had a long and ugly career. Imagine how many would have been spared if only the first half a dozen victims had conviction and courage.
13
Thank you, Uma Thurman.
3
Ms. Thurman's career is inseparable from that of the two perverts, HW and QT. No-one forced her to work for/with either HW or QT. When Ms. Thurman made "Pulp", did she ever think of the impact the perversions on screen would have on millions of people? As long as this "movie" is around? - Now she complains: as if she were any different from the two perverted men. I feel no sympathy towards Ms. Thurman. She is as accountable for the legacy her movie(s), as are Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino. Millions of people sat through "Pulp". Ms. Thurman's product. Her legacy. And she complains about the car ...
25
I usually like Maureen Dowd's writing, but this one didn't do it for me. It was rambling and unfocused. What was the point of the article? For Thurman to talk about her problems with Weinstein? If so, why was she so vague? To talk about how Tarrantino jeopardized her health needlessly? If so, it dilutes the point by then later talking about HW. Was it to show that Tarrantino tried to punish her because she might or might not have stood up to HW? If so, the connection wasn't clear enough. If Thurman has something to say, she should have written it herself, and said what she had to say, like the wonderful article Salma Hayek wrote. Every article or editorial should have a point, but I just don't see what the point of this one was. Thurman isn't brave, because she certainly waited long enough to tell this story, which doesn't add anything to the conversation. She seems intelligent and thoughtful, so I was expecting something a little more pointed and relevant than this. It is me too, but not in the right way.
37
I have heard many people, including psychologists, say that adult behavior is deeply informed by adolescent experience. Think of junior high, middle school, and high school. And I have heard that even accomplished and talented adults default to that level of emotional intelligence. Teenage years are when many girls—even the prom queens—are filled with anxiety, wanting to please within social norms that are so male-determined. As for men—well, think of the alpha male in high school, maybe insecure underneath but used to attracting attention. Give him money and power as an adult and see what happens. Then see the junior high fellow who wasn’t in the top social circle, who couldn’t get a date to the 9th grade dance. He earns some wealth and has power over others, including beautiful young women, and see what happens. Of course, the bad outcomes are because these few powerful people, mostly men, never learned to behave respectfully and compassionately. (Harvey, what did your parents teach you?). And, unlike in childhood, no responsible adult sent them to detention or time out when they misbehaved. So they kept offending. Sorry, fellas, your time is up. Quentin, don’t expect anyone to drive an unsafe car. You were young and immature then, with no adults in the room to tell you “no.” What if that had been your child? Uma, thank you.
4
My comment on the video. How much practice did Uma have, driving a car on what appear to be a rough road in a car that appears to lack power assisted steering.
3
Some people were confused about the Abbey of Gesthemani comment. The abbey is a Atrappist monastery in Kentucky. No women allowed but it seems me. May make retreats there. Apparently that is what Hawk was doing at the time. It was the home of the theologian Thomas Merton. I can't find the comment again that questioned the meaning of the sentenceto respond to it specifically. There were 43 recommends to it.
2
The fetish of the female (and the male, too, of course) as plaything and object is the inevitable companion piece to violence, particularly gun violence.
What is the deal with Quentin Tarantino? I haven’t seen any of his films and after this article, I’m not gonna start now.
3
Of all the star studded testimonials revealing the horrors that lurk behind the velvet curtain of celebrity, this account by Uma Thurman, as conveyed by Maureen Dowd, is the clearest and rawest I've heard. Though it is no less despicable than the rest.
4
Somone posted: You could say they were “willing,” but how can one freely consent to someone who holds the power of a film director?
Easy. Deciding not to sell their bodies for fame and fortune.
9
In a book on acting, Michael Caine said if the director tells you to do something that looks dangerous, ask him to do it first so you can see how to do it.
35
Imagine the situational ethics required to suppress adult sexual abuse as a rising star at age 33 in order to achieve fame and fortune to speak out about it 14 years later at age 47?
brave: people who are ready to face and endure danger or pain
coward: person who lacks courage to endure dangerous or unpleasantry
5
Looks like Quentin might have to go back to his previous career in home video rental stores. Oh wait, there are not home video rental stores.
6
Listen up ladies. Us good guys - the ones who would never consider abusing much less raping women - we're not happy either that you choose to give yourselves to the bad guys to advance your careers or because you find their wealth and power so fascinating. It depresses us. It runs contrary to what you claim to want in your Cosmo ladies polls.
Uma Thurman could have made some big noise about Weinstein back in the mid-90s and prevented the subsequent abuse of numerous hurricane Harvey victims. She didn't because she found her career more important. This may have been a rational decision, but not a righteous one, which is why the #MeToo movement needs to dial itself back and recognize the crass motives of women in all of this. If you insist on tearing Tarantino apart for his silence, then do the same for Uma Thurman. Being the pampered daughter of well-to-do New York City parents, she had other options.
25
I'm glad to have lived long enough to see the tide turning on the abuse of women. Any woman can put herself in Uma's place and imagine going along with what the director wanted. For years, we women just accepted going along to get along unless you wanted to lose your job. I'm so happy that young women today can rat out the abusers and that there are consequences for their boorish behavior.
6
Another Joanie-come-lately who got what she wanted out of it and never warned others...Such heroines in Hollywood.
17
So sorry, Uma. Watching that accident brought tears to my eyes. How could Tarantino and Weinstein put you in that position? It makes me feel both sick and anry.
In terms of any guilt about Weinstein's predatory behavior, caring people do the best they can with the information and circumstances at the time. I respect you and your work so much and look forward with hope that your next opportunities will be your best. When you do a Kickstarter to make your own film #countmein
4
I don't get it, Maureen. I take Ms. Thurman's words about facts as true, although I have questions about the implied conclusions in your article and the conflating of an accident on a movie set with sexual abuse. Were the deaths of Vic Morrow, Conway Wickliffe, Kun Liu, Steve Erwin and numerous others to be compared with sexual abuse? Should the injures of Channing Tatum, George Clooney and a myriad of other actors, and actresses, that occurred on set also be discussed in the same article about charges of sexual abuse? Those cases may have been caused by a dereliction of responsibility. Maybe; I don't know. An analysis of facts would need to be done in each case.
Here, there seems to be no in-depth analysis or questioning of the facts by you. Maybe Tarantino was negligent; maybe he wasn't apprised of the risk. I just don't know.
What I do believe is that Ms. Thurman did a second movie of the same sadistic genre'. That's what I've read, or maybe that's wrong. Correct me, if so.
As to the rape charge you seem to play with, I'll refer you to Mr. Little's analysis of that. Is he wrong in questioning your use of words? I just don't know.
As I read your op-ed, the facts don't seem to be there. I am disappoint in you, Maureen. Is your article really a tongue in cheek attempt to show just how far afield this conversation and piling on has gone? I just don't know.
6
There is no excuse for what Harvey Weinstein did to Ms. Thurman. But if my uncle ever disrobed himself in front of me I would be calling him something other than "kooky" or "eccentric" and then would be headed out the door.
7
I love the complete lack of C'spine precautions that should have been employed before she was even allowed to move. She could have been paralyzed if she had had a fracture. Her head should have been held in stabilization, collared and then boarded with head chucks until she could be evaluated at a hospital.
8
Brutal!
Surely there's a multi-million dollar lawsuit to emerge from that Karmann-Ghia death trap that could cause serious human injury if you ran it into an overstuffed pillow it is such a dangerous car.
3
Now we know why she seemed to disappear for many years. The sad part of all of this is the fact that the media, law enforcement and politicians protected the likes of DSK when the accusers were maids. It only became an issue when Hollywood stars started crying foul.
7
Hollywood has kept me from talking about what the women in Hollywood have done to men, so I'll just keep quiet until another woman snaps and tries to hit me with a car based off of a story that was started to offset a real story that occurred.
1
What bothers me most about this column is that Dowd is only interested in profiling rich and privileged celebrity women while ignoring the struggles and oppression of non-celebrity working women. We are expected to care more about the misfortunes of celebrities than white and blue collar female workers who don't earn enough to pay for child care or send their kids to college. We are expected to champion the cause of celebrity women while ignoring our own issues, which are often rooted in poverty. Why should we care about Thurman, a very rich and privileged white woman? What contributions has she and/or her peers ever made toward uplifting women and their children out of poverty? I simply don't care about her or others like her.
23
FWIW the car crash was not due to a defect in the Karmann Ghia. Volkswagens and Porsches have high polar moments of inertia due to the location of the engine at the rear, and have known oversteering properties. Ms. Thurman simply overcorrected once she began to skid, and lost control. This would not have happened if she had corrected the initial skid properly. Mr. Tarantino was not trying to kill her.
7
Tarantino’s movies exploit extreme violence as an art form, and conceivably have a role in promoting the vast American love affair with violence which all we liberals deplore. Thurman was glamorously complicit in that, and was complicit in Weinstein’s harassment of other women, both in the service of her personal absorption in her own career. Maureen Dowd makes sure to include touches like the elegant East Side riverfront apartment which is the result of her career building, and the golden Buddha, as she puts together this high-minded tale of noble steeliness, ignoring the complicity and selfishness which show through the gauzy curtain. At least we can give Ms. Thurman (if not Ms. Dowd) enough credit to know she’s not a heroine.
15
After reading about 200 of the comments, I'm wondering why no mention of the first assault when she was sixteen.
Ms. Thurman is describing a long timeline of victimization, assault, rape, and self-blame. Reluctance to admit what she had allowed men in power to do to her, starting when a credulous teenager , alone at a time when she needed guidance and advocacy, groomed to accept bad behavior as a necessary evil for her nascent career, ramping up into power-based sexual violence by men she'd wanted to like and trust. This type of dynamic continued throughout her young adulthood and into a time when she had star power, and one would assume a voice with publicity heft.
The anecdote about the car scene plotted by QT is even more horrific than the (now we know) inevitable, cagey, torturous fumbling and bumblings by repulsive rapist HW.
14
Congratulations on surviving everything these two powerful men (I hate to call them men as I think they are less than human,) did to you.
4
sorry but I am not feeling all that positive about Uma Thurman. If it is true about her father characterized her as a goddess incarnate & if he raised her to believe that then he may have done a most terrible disservice. Reading this article I kept having the feeling that Uma feels above the fray. Harvey Weinstein as a silly uncle. Did she not know that close relatives including uncles are sexual abusers. Did she not think that her fame, her glowing reviews might be the result of Harvey Weinstein manipulating the markets for his own advantage? did he not do this elsewhere for others ? something does not jell, does not sit right.
8
I read the entire article, but one thing from the very beginning I can’t shake. Who lets their 16 year old daughter live in a studio apartment in New York?
29
The abuse of power by Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino nearly resulted in Uma Thurman’s death, and mental and physical anguish. This isn’t about saying you’re sorry. It is craven indifference to another human being. I will never see a Quentin Tarantino film again. Despicable. Uma, never let Tarantino in your presence again.
7
Hollywood lore is filled with stories about horrible conduct by abusive directors - Alfred Hitchcock, David O. Russell, Bernardo Bertolucci, Lars Von Trier. But Woody Allen, who in the Me Too moment is being once again raked over the coals, accused of molesting his 7 y/o daughter (and who has always denied the charges), has never been accused by any actor he's worked with of abusive or untoward behavior. Not one.
9
It sounds like she should be Very angry, and hopefully, she will find a way to get past it someday. .
It sounds like Mr "T" should probably realize a similar fate, as to that of Mr "W". .
2
She was used, bullied and almost killed by men who should be prosecuted.
10
I am angry that men do these things to women and they should be punished, but I am also not moved by Ms. Thurman's story. She chose to stay in the industry so that she could enjoy the money and fame that go along with the sacrifice. Please don't make her into a victim for us to pity, she continued on this path after being abused the first time.
I relate this to football players who complain that their employers didn't tell them they could get hurt. Playing a game where 300 pound guys ram into your head and throw you to the ground? if you didn't think that would cause permanent damage then you were brain damaged before you started.
A little personal responsibility is called for here.
12
Men, please watch the car crash video. Watch how Tarantino pets Uma Thurman after the crash. Burn it into your minds. Indelibly stamp it into your memory. Because that is NOT OK, and it says everything about what is wrong with men in positions of power.
6
We get the point but it doesn’t move the dial to just keep rehashing unless it’s announced tomorrow that Tarantino will make no more of his wretched, sadistic films and female actors refuse to appear in films that use them as sex objects or cannon fodder.
14
A man tries to attack you but you again agree to meet him in his hotel room? Why? You wanted the part?
Weinstein should be in jail, But women need to use common sense. No, I am not 'blaming the victim', But can we return to more traditional etiquette between the sexes?
The Vice President was mocked when he stated he does not dine alone with women. Seems Uma could learn something from Mike Pence.
12
Young women aspire to be Hollywood stars. Then essentially prostitute themselves, achieve fame and wealth only to complain victimhood... everyone knew what goes on especially Democrats feeding on Hollywood political donations.
You don't see the victims or Democrats returning the tainted money.
5
As one of the silent male #MeToo persons twice fired over a 30-year period (1967-1997) by powerful men for defending two women protesting sexual harassment, there was clearly a misunderstanding of my early comment. The spotlight on sexual predators has moved on to even more awful prople like Larry Nasser (on today's front page), but the media like the evangelical Christians seemed to have given our Predator-in-Chief a "mulligan" for his Clintonesque philandering and blatant sexual depravity under the smokescreen coverup of THE memo that was a "dud on arrival." As long as Donald Trump is not held accountable, it demeans and diminishes all the brave and wounded women like Uma Thurman who have come forward with truly harrowing stories of sexual abuse
9
Dowd writes "Weinstein confirmed Friday that he apologized, an unusual admission from him, which spurred Thurman to wryly note, “His therapy must be working.”" His therapy must be working? That's about as likely as the proverbial leopard changing its spots.
4
Rough town that Hollywood, full of pervs with money and nasty casting couches.
And this now comes as a surprise to exactly who?
Sort of strange that now the 800 lb. gorilla just became visible.
It's always been a dirty business.
6
Thanks for telling us your story, Uma. I will never look at a Quentin Tarantino movie again the same way. This kind of abuse and manipulation cannot be tolerated and these men cannot get away with this. It makes me sick, reading these stories. I feel such disgust for the Weinsteins of the world, they are despicable people. He -- and the men like him -- are not honest, honorable people with integrity. They are nothing but scum.
2
That car was clearly screwed up. Tarantino and Weinstein are the devil.
2
This is the best use of Maureen Dowd’s talent I’ve seen in a very long time.
15
Uma is angry at herself.
The words she speaks,
the emotions she feels,
how she looks,
how she moves,
are all controlled by her abusers.
What is work?
And what is abuse?
Is ambiguity
her defense mechanism,
or her excuse?
9
The prime reason more women needed in management, and as directors, producers, etc. what sick ,pathetic excuses of men. Both of them. Not only Weinstein , but Tarantino. I'ld sue the . . . ! What major creeps. Sad all these years we have let men get away with criminal behavior. History shows us the way to defeat is always about all speaking up and not remaining silent.
9
I wish Uma had spoken to someone other than Maureen Dowd who would write a clear investigative report. I was so frustrated reading this article. It's poorly written, and deliberately cryptic. I question why this is even an opinion instead of a news report.
46
Oh please........she could have walked out at any time but didn't.
23
So ... when 90% of those taking the most important decisions about your entire career, including hiring and firing, are men, and when time and again they force you to sign non disclosure agreements, or destroy your reputation etc. when you dare to speak up about abuse ... you STILL ask yourself why women try to continue to go to work each day rather than becoming housewives, all while finding it normal, I suppose, that no male actor has EVER to ask himself this kind of questions ... ?
Not only are women much less paid than men for exactly the same job, your advice to them would be to quit and give up their own vocation simply because so many men find it perfectly okay to abuse them ... ?
Really ... ?
(And yes, being a housewife CAN be a vocation too, but it's up to women to decide what will give meaning to their lives, NOT up to abusing men and those who know what happens but believe that the one who should quite her job is the victim rather than the perpetrator, as you apparently do ... )
13
Why is this an opinion piece? Ms. Thurman said it, Ms. Dowd obtained corroboration for much of it, and she is reporting Ms. Thurman’s allegations and the corroborating evidence. Why is it not news reporting?
21
How peculiar the video which took 15 years to obtain is currently unavailable. more intrigue... Weinstein needs to be punished with confinement, ideally in a state prison like Attica.
7
Wow! Reading this really made me angry. It sounds as if Tarantino knew that something like this happening was a possibility. As a director you should never be putting people in this kind of position. That's why there are stunt people. I sort of wish Ethan Hawke had beaten him up for doing this. And just more evidence that Weinstein is a monster. Glad that Uma told her story. Maybe it helps her in healing from what these jerks did to her. I can't even watch the end of the video, too painful too watch.
11
Why is this man not in custody? One reason....he has anatomical parts that a women does not. Period. This is astonishing.
12
Why does the Times always make a point of describing the location where victims of sexual assault live? Or the names and other identifying details of women who are defying the rules of patriarchy in the Middle East? I don’t care who it is - Ms. Thurman or a young girl skilled in math in an oppressive society. Stop it. It’s an old habit and a bad one. It is not journalistic - it is an irrational and cruel impulse. Do you understand that women are under attack, quite literally? It serves no purpose except to attract negative attention to these brave women. They deserve privacy, even if their stories need to be told to the world. How would you respond if it was you?
20
Not long after my father-in-law Mundell Lowe had moved from New York City to Los Angeles, with a handwritten invitation from Jackie Cooper in his pocket, I asked him if it was true what I had heard that most women had to pass over the infamous "casting couch" in order to make it big in Hollywood. He answered matter of factly, "All women and all men." This was in early 1966 – four years before Uma was born. I find Uma’s story fits in with everything I've learned to expect from such "tell-all" accounts, including Marilyn Monroe's comment that after making it big, she could finally get up off her knees. What’s to be done about this state of predatory affairs threatening beautiful, naive and defenseless young women? I suggest it must come from a parent who will personally see to it their daughters are trained in martial arts, as mine have been. The result? Any man who touches either of them without their permisssion, is in for the surprise of his life. I wonder what Robert Thurman or any of his meditating Buddhas would have to say about THAT responsibility! In short, I don't lay this problem at Harvey Weinstein's door, or that of the guy who raped 16-yr old Uma. I lay it at Robert Thurman's door. When the Japanese instructor who taught the Tokyo police dept came to instruct my 15-yr old’s class for 3 days, as she got out of the car the last day I asked, "What's on the agenda today?" Calmly she answered, ”Killing in self-defense.” There it is folks. Take it or leave it.
16
Suggestion, when writing an article about a woman’s response to sexual assault, do not start an account with, “Stretching out her lanky frame on a brown velvet couch in front of the fire, Thurman tells her story.”
75
No career or amount of money is worth what Uma Thurman reportedly endured. In remaining under the employ/control of certain unscrupulous parties, she made choices that were much to her detriment. I am glad to read she has achieved a higher level of enlightenment as to what is and is not truly important.
13
What a brave fearless woman Uma Thurman is , admire her sustenance power to be a role model to her children.
Now she has the capacity to protect them as much as she could considering what she has gone through in her youth and adult life.
5
A brave fearless woman would have told her story when it happened. She also would have walked away. Thurman placed more value on her career than her personal safety.
10
These Hollywood women are saying, I was more interested in my career
than my self-respect and even my body. I was so hungry for stardom that I allowed men to exploit me. Now that I'm no longer a player, I will
accuse the men who made my career. Thurman made her bed. Not all women are victims. But many of them seem to be rich Hollywood stars on the slide.
38
First of all, Uma Thurman is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, which of course means that she's not only a Hollywood "star", and is extremely talented and has the sensibility, courage and technique to go VERY far in her own emotions in order to tell a story.
You can only achieve something like that if for you, telling stories has a larger cultural meaning, and especially, when you've understood that it's NOT about you as a person. "Stardom" is what "people's" magazines turn actors into, but it has nothing to do with the job itself.
So no, you cannot possibly become such an outstanding actress, and continue for decades, IF your motivation would be "stardom". And the same goes for money.
Secondly, what men (and certain women) need to start to have the courage to see, is the fact that it's our CULTURE that in GENERAL makes men to behave in such a way that (1) in many professions, women are only a small minority of those who take the decisions - including who's hired and fired, and (2) abusing women is considered to be normal.
In such a culture, often women have a choice to make that NO man wanting the same job has to make: to opt for a life where your job is your passion and what gives deeper meaning and purpose to it BUT to accept the constant risk of being abused, OR to stay a housewife (making sure dinner is ready at 6pm , as a GOP campaign ad recently stated).
Uma had the courage to take option 1.
And to CONTINUE to be a player.
3
The detail of Tarantino spitting on and choking Thurman is truly repugnant.
Tarantino is also rumored to often coerce his actresses into indulging his foot fetish. You could say they were “willing,” but how can one freely consent to someone who holds the power of a film director?
17
The firestorm enveloping Hollywood and the media industry continues unabated. This raging inferno will take years before it incinerates the bullies and beasts that are fueling it. Who could imagine the creeps who claimed the moral high ground, lectured the hoi polloi on right and wrong, were the same perverts emerging from the swamp?
10
Many signs point to child trafficking being the bottom of the rabbit hole. There are organized groups that recruit and groom children to be molested. Some have been uncovered, many have not. Why is THIS abomination not at least equally in the focus of all of this outrage? Women AND children are being systematically preyed upon in Hollywood.
21
She makes millions from performing in movies that by any definition glorify violence and revenge and then claims that she's a poor victim. Give me a break...
29
She is a victim, as that part is very obvious.
4
John Ensign, your comment makes it sound like she had a hand in writing the screenplay. She is an actress playing a character in a film—it is her job. She didn’t agree to be victimized in real life.
7
This is appalling! Tarantino should be banned from Hollywood permanently.
And, like Weinstein, he should be indicted, prosecuted, convicted and jailed.
These "men" are disgusting!!!
15
Harvey Weinstein’s masquerade of mental illness is a thinly disguised shield to mitigate or avoid criminal prosecution. The clinicians “treating” Mr. Weinstein are either venal whores or naive snowflakes: the chance of truth in the latter is non existent. Should armed bank robbers be treated for the mental disorder of armed bank robbing. Weinstein needs criminal prosecution and incarceration, not a vacation at a “therapy” spa.
21
I have a lot of issues with Maureen Dowd, particularly with her Clinton Derangement Syndrome problem that I believe gave way too much aid and comfort to the enemy this last election.
But this is a great, nuanced article. I have been very skeptical of many of the excesses of the #MeToo movement from the very start. It isn't that I don't believe the women, but I also believe that we should not try people in the press and should not destroy careers without due process. HUAC and Joseph McCarthy tried that and it did not end well.
What is important in these tales, what gets overlooked in the summations, are the details that keep so many of these situations from being completely black and white. The story of heading out to a club at 16 with a man nearly 20 years older is depressing because it is the reason we have statutory rape laws. Being "compliant" or even granting enthusiastic consent is not enough.
After an "attack" (or, as some might call it, a badly failed attempt at seduction), Thurman confronts Weinstein at the Savoy, telling him, “If you do what you did to me to other people you will lose your career, your reputation and your family, I promise you.”
One wants to cheer at that point, but if she is willing to go there, it is no surprise that Weinstein is, too. I'm sure his legendary temper played a role, and I'm sure he was much more convincing when he told her that he could "derail her career."
Vengeance is an ugly game. As they say, first dig two graves.
12
Wow, another actress complaining about being subjected to "sexism". Uma as they say in the real world just say NO. All of these celebrities are a waste of time. Let's have a few hundred women that work for pennies and have to take the "filth" that Ms. Thurman is paid millions for complain, then I will pay attention.
20
I agree, at least Uma, say you were so career focused you were willing to take all of
this abuse so you could have a successful career and earn all that money so you could afford your posh NYC apartment ,etc .
A little honesty would make you a more credible narrator to your worthy story of abuse.
Larry Casper
Asheville NC
6
Has it ever occurred to you that the women who work for "pennies" cannot afford to speak out? Both literally and figuratively? They aren't famous, beautiful or excessively admired. They don't have the ear of Ronan Farrow or Maureen Dowd. They are just trying to keep their jobs, their health insurance and food on the table for their children. If you think for a second that "speaking out" or "filing a complaint" against their tormentors will in any way protect or benefit them in the long-run, then you are mistaken. That is precisely WHY it must start from the top down. Only women who can afford to financially feel free to actually do so. Women like Uma. That should be common sense.
9
Anyone feeling perplexed by this exercise of evil might find comfort in facts.
This is a compilation of several studies into undetected rapists which explains the span of stats. Between 12% and 25% of men attempt to offend by the time they are 25. After that only the hard cores keep it up, between 2% and 7%.
Those who rack up the most victims use techniques such as Cosby and Weinstein to keep the authorities at bay. They have the most prolific careers.
http://www.davidlisak.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/RepeatRapeinUndetectedR...
7
More proof that the American media should not be the moral compass of Americans. The Hollywood types own the machinery of propaganda, but the things they propagate are as injurious to America as the things they try to hide from us.
5
This is the mot powerful of all the descriptions of abuse to women by Hollywood men. Thank you Uma for going back though all the pain to write it!
3
Some men don't deserve the privilege of directing a movie.
-a woman ready to take a man's place
6
Wow, your last statement is a stunner, "...I think that as little girls, we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection.." I never considered that. Thanks
6
" as she vaped tobacco, sipped white wine and fed empty pizza boxes into the fireplace." Poor baby. She should recycle.
I'm sure she was treated badly, but she's a big girl with a few husbands and should be able to take care of herself (and recycle).
16
You're both just coverups, glossing over the harsh truth that Uma's richly compensated silence allowed Weinstein to victimize so many more defenseless young women.
We don't want to allow excuses from the perps, and we don't want excuses from the silent ones.
Feom now on any time this happens the rule is:
One Perp
One Victim
ONE TIME
9
Hard to feel sympathy. Uma is just like Hillary Clinton who was Bill's co-conspirator for years. Along as the money, power, and fame continued Uma and Hillary kept silent.
22
Yes!
9
Doesn't another actor--Mira Sorvino?-- have a very creepy Tarantino story to tell?
5
Wow! I hope QT finds himself on the unemployment line now as well. Reincarnated goddess, indeed.
4
I am more disturbed by the behavior of Quentin Tarantino than that of Harvey Weinstein.
7
Double Team Supreme! I think Harvey told Q to get rid of their problem. Would have made one hell of a "Columbo" on location down in Mexico, but they couldn't bury her story.
3
We should br more interested in stories about the fates of of abused women or men who are NOT at the top tier of commercially successful show business and whose parents were not university professors, and who did not end up in luxury apartments in Manhattan.
There are thousand of victims out there who were and are afraid to open their mouths because of the possible economic, familial or expulsion threats. They do not have money for lawyers and lawyers are not interested in their cases.
The Thurman story is of course a journalistic plum. It is much more attractive to write about Uma than say a Honduran maid who cleans floors in Uma's apartment complex.
29
About the car story...if she truly believed the car was a “death box,” why would it have been okay for a stunt man to drive it? Isn’t that perspective a bit self-centered?
This is a strange interview, and an even stranger write-up. How did the Weinstein drama morph into a screed against Tarantino? I think the bottled-up anger she has spoken of is really aimed at Tarantino. She shook off the Weinstein thing long before her misadventure with the car. Tarantino is a maniac.
27
Uma you are brave and beautiful and did not deserve that horrific treatment. Stand with those other voices in Hollywood who are calling out that factory of horror. They tried to force a part of you to surrender. They had no right to do that or assault you in any way. Bad people.
3
I read the passage of the "sexual abuse" twice, and all I"m reading is a sad older man making an awkward pass at a woman who turned him down and he then apologizes profusely. Sent yellow roses. Now that the older man has been trampled to the dust, this sad little story is added as the epitome of victimhood. Drama much?
19
Making a pass at a social acquaintance and making a pass at an employee are not the same thing. Especially when you also threaten to destroy their career if they oppose you.
8
Mothers, please teach your daughters before the age of consent(and after), to never go up to some guy's room or apt unless they are prepared for sex. That will be the only thing he is thinking about waiting for the doorbell to ring. Most will try the usual techniques for seduction, while others like Weinstein, will use it as a club to gain power over you. Far better to have a drink in the bar before taking that step. Reading this tortured story about the actress, suggests her problems began a lot earlier than when she ran into Weinstein and his enablers.
18
WJC and his buddy Jerry Epstein make Tarantino and Weinstein look like saints. QT and HW would probably not be exposed to this extent if they had a “protective” wife like HRC to go after the victims
3
How many women went on to suffer "depravity" at the hands of Weinstein and Tarantino AFTER Uma's abuse?
Since Uma showed up for day 2 on the set, I'm going to assume this is the "price" Uma willingly paid to get beat in.
Anything for that fake golden statue. N E Thing.
10
We are learning that football does brain damage, and Hollywood damages lives.
How could a clique celebrate perverseness such as Polanski, and now Weinstien (and Quentin?) in the name of art? (Both Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill were disturbing in their plots.)
It is very likely that powers that be of all genders knew about, tolerated, and soft and hard promoted such exploitation of women in Hollywood. Hollywood then has the gall to use its staged award show to show a higher moral ground to the world?!!
Hollywood as it is turning out may be the most duplicitous group in the world today, after Religion X.
8
Poor Uma! Maureen , how about a piece on non famous women who have been assaulted , victimized and taken advantage of because they really really need the job. Are they non important because they're not known? Remember the house keeper assaulted by Stauss-Kahn , made the papers but then it became non news because she simply was a nobody. Those are the real heroines in my book ; sad that all the publicity on the# me too movement centers around known women . Uma had a choice to leave the film and moral , and monetary support . What about the office cleaners , the maids that make up her hotel bed and clean her room , the nannys that watch the kids , the ones that people don't see ?
24
Enough with these women in Hollywood, these women aren’t “brave”. They kept their mouths shut for years knowing Harvey was doing this and going to create more victims but said nothing for fear of losing their careers. The brave ones are the ones that knew it and spoke out even with the fear of being blackballed..
38
I'm gonna keep at this till someone posts this.
I'm sick of these older, very BIGLY successful actresses (white mostly) coming out now! Acting, key word - acting - all outraged!
Not buying! I'm not letting go and letting this movie abuse my senses. Let these women off the hook for NOT doing whats right IN THE MOMENT! Especially those who went into the "family business" (hello Paltrow!) knowing that the casting couch was a real thing, and who had a support system in the business!
You know how a bully like Weinstein is defeated? With bigger bullying! Or a lot of little bullies pushing back.
Acting is not a necessary career path. Its a vanity pursuit, where fame and fortune are the main goals. Its not comparable to under-educated hotel cleaning employees being attacked on the job. Or women trying to get respect in the police or fire depts. A female college grad being tossed onto the floor of the NY stock exchange to face groping and incessant come-ons. Acting is about getting attention, hopefully big paychecks. And its only when they get those,do any of them ever speak up about the abuses. Its only when the bigger paychecks and lucrative spokesperson cosmetics contracts roll in, that they speak up!
Sorry, I'm not listening to the Thurman's, the Paltrow's, or Streeps, etc.
They have no credibility IMO. Same as the old female guard out in the real world of normal business.
It wasn't a right of passage, it was abuse! You all failed to do something meaningful!
37
Does anyone remember Strauss-Kahn and the hotel maid? Remember how she was treated? Now hotel maids are asking for panic buttons.
This abuse happens in every setting, in every level of society, by boys and men, to girls and women. It is perpetuated by men of all kinds, famous, rich, powerful, poor, the bosses in small businesses, your neighbors and relatives.
Apparently the men teach the boys that it's OK to abuse women and girls, or why do they think they can do it?
24
Kudos Maureen, I love LOVE the way you write, but this time you so totally submerged your personality that I really forgot it was you writing and focussed on the story totally. Very good piece.
3
Tarantino is just as offensive as Harvey...Uma is clearly an object to both...like the way most women are viewed...and when I say most I would guess about 95% knowing I am being generous...we have to demand respect and completely turn from anyone who doesn't give it.
4
Wow. this is all really heavy. thank you Uma, for sharing that. it will help all of us. my mind is boggled that Quentin actually had you drive the car knowing that it was a death trap. its interesting too, that after the Weinstein stuff started to become public, that Quentin made some statement about knowing enough and not doing anything about it. Certainly, he wasn't going to jump off the Weinstein gravy train.
I think its also a lesson in women overriding their instincts to please another, or to not make waves. I've done it myself many times. I've not always suffered because of it, but often I have. Thank you again, Uma, for sharing this. You are very brave.
And shame on you Quentin. And Harvey. I don't believe for a second that Harvey's therapy is working. He's planning his comeback. He's a shapeshifter and no one ever should believe that any of his decent behavior is a sign of change. He's still denying what he did to Rose McGowan and all of his other victims. He's a liar. He's a manipulator. He's a sociopath. No one should ever drop their weapons around him, ever again.
9
I await A .O. Scott's essay reconsidering the work of Quentin Tarantino.
12
in the context and sequencing of this article, it would seem that Weinstein tried to kill Thurman in the death trap car
that would be pure evil.
2
Poor Uma Thurman. She chose to make millions of dollars exploiting her sex object capacities in violent and banal movies, and now wants to whine that she was a victim.
If she gave away all the money she made under Weinstein to charities, one might start to consider her as sincere, instead of as a grandstanding middle-aged actress who can't trade on the sex object stuff anymore.
18
I hope she sues and presses criminal charges all parties to this car crash crime against her and they are all ruined, bankrupted and incarcerated in real prisons for a long time.
3
Usually the well to do, well known who get the soapbox. The maids, PA's ..the "little people" have few choices but to suffer their memories of abuses and cruel slights in private.
9
Shouldn't the article be titled (and subscripted):"This Is Why Uma Thurman Is Angry / The actress is finally ready to talk about Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino."
1
In the media/entertainment world they lie by nature...all of them, accused and accusers, in a way to give the best image of themselves...they are polished, professional pretenders and that's what they do 24/7...none of them are innocent victims, they have all been victimizing the gullible public forever to feed their insatiable egos.
6
I am so, so sorry you had to go through what you did Uma,
I can understand why you had to gather yourself together
before you spoke of these horrible abuses. I have never
been a Tarantino fan, but now I despise him. I cannot
even frame words around the horror he subjected you to.
And in my own life I have been remembering sexual abuse
and began to see it bleeding out to other kinds of abuse
by men. And as you say, Harvey was not trying to kill you.
I am glad you spoke of girls conditioned to love and
cruelty being intertwined. When I talk about other kinds
of abuse and cruelty by men, I mean only some men.
A lot of men will be horrified at the way you were treated.
But these special men, what kind of horrible emotional
disfigurement empowers them to take it out on women and
other men? Tarantino and Weinstein should both be
prosecuted. And yes here is to the end of an era where
little girls are conditioned that cruelty and love have a connection!
4
Uma, your courage to share your traumas at the hands of Weinstein and Tarantino will help both men and women know that it is never too late to do whatever it takes to heal from sexual, physical and emotional trauma. Trauma can reside in the mind and body for a lifetime. Healing takes time. Years, maybe decades.With the right help it can be released. Your story resonates with all of us who are on the path of healing.
3
It's really hard to to swallow this story to feel sympathy for Uma. Please don't try to persuade us you were innocent and pure as the white driven snow when you kept the "working" relationship with Harvey & Quentin, who are really despicable, despite their talents for other things. Women like Uma put up with all of it even if they disagree, because money and fame far outweighs the risks. And Uma kept all this to herself, instead of calling cops. Sorry, no sale.
16
Dear Uma~You paid with parts of your health so Quentin could have his scene. Health is #1. This is what women do for men every single day.
It has got to stop. We are worth so much more.
Thank-you for helping us all on that road to end it.
5
Most of this piece is about a car crash that has nothing to do with Harvey Weinstein, there are virtually no details about the abuse and what actually went down.
Lupita Nyong’o did a much better job telling her story.
10
I urge everyone to read the Feb. 1 commentary by Suzannah Weiss:
"#MeToo Has Made Me See Anyone Is Capable Of Sexual Abuse—Including Me" -https://theestablishment.co/metoo-has-made-me-see-anyone-is-capable-of-s...
2
Mo should do this kind of feature more often. Best thing she's written in years.
3
Why is H Weinstein in therapy and not in jail?????
Do Money and powerful connections still buy justice in this country?
If a poor man had been accused of the same crimes, we would have been in jail without bail immediately.
I never cared for Tarantino's violent films.
7
Hollywood has been a world of sexual degeneracy and political hypocrisy for the longest time and the only reason many people haven’t heard what goes on there is because the majority of them are Liberals and the media is willing to cover all their iniquities. With every passing year there’s less coming out (movies or tv) of that place worth our time or money to watch.
3
Uma, I'm a man, and I apologize for the way these lowlifes treated you.
I've always thought Tarantino was like a 12- year old with an unlimited budget. And yes his movies are entertaining. But I've also felt that he's a bit of a nut. And incredibly self-aggrandizing.
Weinstein can do " therapy" but he belongs in jail.
The bottom line is that predators are prevalent in ALL industries and in politics. It's sick. From the "president " on down, they should be prosecuted.
19
Wow, what a story, and thank you Uma for sharing it.
4
Weinstein is a creep as we all know, so no point in discussing him. However, Tarrantino is a brilliant director who made Uma a star and wealthy. And he made one really irresponsible mistake - a big, fat whopper of a mistake. But that's the problem with some women today - is they make a mental laundry list of all the bad things that have happened to them and who wronged them, stuff them all deep down inside, and then unleash it all years later in an attempt to get justice. The problem is they don't do anything about it at the time they were victimized - most likely because it would have hurt their career at the time.
Yes, Uma is a victim. But she is also an opportunist, which should not be completely dismissed.
15
So, I have a few connections, and the Mob used to call LA's the Disney Mafia. It is not allegorical. It is presently running as it did in 1933.
2
So is she saying she was raped by Harvey Weinstein or not? Her memories abruptly end after after he tells her he has the power to derail her career, and her friend ends up shoving her disheveled, blank-eyed form into a taxi to get her out of there?
Since she waited this long, Ms. THurman should have waited until she was emotionally prepared to tell the full story, and then to a police investigator, not an NYT columnist. (I also find it odd that the victim's children are named and have a role in a story like this. Very odd the telling here...)
10
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for Uma. Unlike the nameless women all over the world who suffer male inflicted violence, FGM, honor killings, acid burns, rape and maiming, Ms. Thurman had choices all of her life which by any account, was one of privilege and power.
She had many opportunities along the way to "just say no" to doing the things that she now objects to. She chose to be an actress with her eyes open. No one will every accuse Uma Thurman of being stupid.
Now that so many others have come out before her, she has the courage to say something. Looks like just another cynical way to try to boost her career and stay relevant.
16
Here is the problem with these articles about regretfully remorseful actors. They voluntarily entered a business whose almost sole purpose is exploiting and exporting the very actions they regret not speaking out about until they remember it happened to them. Movies' and tv's bread and butter are violence (majority of which is portrayed against women), rape, promiscuous sex, guns, reckless behavior and murder. It would be like a women entering the Marines, having her legs blown off and then holding the Marines accountable for her initial decisions. The people that produce this trash in the first place and offer it to the public need to be rejected out-right. That is the core issue. The hypocrisy comes from embracing and supporting the same issue you now hold in contempt.
17
Seeing all the power than Thurman has-- talent, looks, but mostly a personal strength-- imagine what it's like for someone lacking that edge, who simply lacks the courage to stand up to someone like Weinstein. That dynamic plays out at all levels of our society.
As for men, we really don't know that kind of vulnerability, or courage. Our lives don't come up against people who coerce us for sex in order to keep our jobs. Our cowardice, however small, isn't revealed.
How dare anyone state that Uma Thurman chose career over honesty about the abuse. How would she know that, while she was winning, others were truly being crushed?
5
Here is what Uma Thurman is NOT angry about and should be, Someone whom Hollywood has protected for the last 40 years:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/sexual-assaults-violent-rage...
1
Men need to respect women, and women need to respect themselves.
And if you can’t do that, be a hermit.
4
Rough experiences but how long has lapsed before these people step out and start screaming 'me too'... how many people did not know about or strongly intuit that the 'casting couch' was not make believe? And why are people so surprised that "power breeds corruption... and absolute power absolutely corrupts"? Is there such a disconnect between these media/film/stars/wannabestar people and reality/human nature? Sorry this stuff happened to 'so many' but frankly what did you expect? You mix money, sex, attractive physiques and (perhaps) innocence and authority and power... really? No one knows what is coming next? Pllleaaasse!
4
Wow. Just, wow. I guarantee no talented, well-connected man has ever had to allow his collaborator to sexually assault him or spit in his face on screen in order to practice his art. Ms. Thurman, thank you for your honesty.
9
So you're saying the self appointed PC police are wrong that if we pretend men and women are the same it will make it true?
Uma Thurman's victimization on screen and off screen, public and private and her subsequent confession, years after the fact, as the METOO# movement her empowered her speak out against her abusers is good for her, and for all women. BRAVA!
Sharon Esther Lampert
SEE THE WORLD THROUGH THE EYES OF A CREATIVE GENIUS
4
Given that Weinstein admitted to his sexual assaults i believe him to be guilty. If he however denied any or all of them then i believe due process is required. Guilt by mere accusation is paramount to lynch mob mentality. Too many innocent men and women have been lynched, jailed and or assaulted because of this . Here's one of the latest cases though i could list thousands: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/02/clack...
1
Weinstein may have admitted to sexual harassment, in that he participated in sexual episodes with people he employed or had contracts with, but he claims that all of these situations were consensual.
However, the rest of your statement stands: For all accusations, there needs to be due process, the presentation of evidence, the presumption of innocence, and the right to appeal.
Just because an accusation involves sex does not mean that the values of justice are terminated.
1
Small towns across America contain offices, shops, restaurants and stores where Harvey Weinstein type individuals abuse women and men in fiercer, kinder and much like Harvey Weinstein ways. Thank you, Uma and #all.
8
You could take all the morality in Hollyweird, stick it in s thimble…and still have room to get your finger in!
5
Proud of you Uma!
6
Ms. Thurman,
I'm sorry for the pain and suffering you have endured. Thank you for telling your story. Our family is one of female actors and performers (except me) and your grace and strength is truly inspirational. Wishing you all the best for a long and joyous career.
3
Hard to know how much is reality and how much is imagined. She traded fame and fortune for her dignity. She could have gotten out after the first encounter and moved on to selling insurance. Lots of people have horrible bosses/work experiences AND THEY QUIT THEIR JOB and find another, or they at LEAST PUSH BACK. I'm sick of these rich pampered stars whining about how badly they are treated. You think everyone else is living in the land of milk and honey honey? You knew what these people were like for YEARS yet you continued your relationship with them. They may be awful people with mental problems but you are no prize either.
17
You can’t quit a movie when you signed a contract.
1
As I read through the comments I notice that we are creating a false assumption that all men are sexist pigs, and all women are passive recipients of abuse.
The men I surround myself with are kind, gentle, and loving. They treat younger women as sisters, and older women like mothers. They are tought to cherish and love their wives sacrificially.
And women should be expected to stand up for themselves even if in doing so they limit their advancement. Just like some men do when they refuse to participate in sexist, racist, or demeaning behavior by other men and suffer in their advancement for not going along.
Unfortunately there are men and women who sacrifice their character for advancement. For men who participate or look the other way, and the women who sacrifice their character by using their sexuality to advance their careers. Both of these encourage bad behavior for the next victim.
Lastly, women have two legs, and a brain. Don’t allow yourself to be put in a compromising position. Walk out, call out the perpetrator on their behavior. You might suffer advancement, but you will feel empowered rather than a victim.
27
So Hollywood has people who use and abuse each other, often violently, while helping each other get rich making movies about people who use and abuse each other, often violently. The symmetry of hypocrisy.
14
“...it has taken me 47 years to stop calling people who are mean to you ‘in love’ with you...that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and...we need to evolve....”
What's needed is a realistic vs a Hollywood conception of "love". Look it up--there are a half dozen senses.
True--all the love senses--even loving ice cream--imply care. And caring means wanting to benefit and protect from harm.
But the whole range of human personality types can be lovers--from saints to psychopaths--altruists to egoists--more or less.
Erotic lovers want to sex-play with beloveds--to make them feel good, happy.
But even "normals" are not purely altruistic about this.
Rather, they want to be the ones bringing the goods. Jealousy is the aversion to others doing so--to not being exclusive.
The greater the range of exclusivity demands, the weirder it gets.
Read Plato's "Phaedrus" on noble and ignoble lovers. It's a "mania" in both cases ("crazy about you"). "Platonic Love" is misunderstood as asexual. Rather it is relatively non-egoistic and more altruistic--other beneficial.
Love is not necessarily a good thing; in psychopaths (who comes to mind?) it's evil. But in good guys and gals, it's a blessing--said Socrates 2500 years ago.
Also--those lovable--easily loved, like beauties--unless stupid--well know their power. Hence they can feel (and be) responsible for their lovers' manias. Unless they are good judges of character, they can be agents of their own misfortune.
2
So is this the "stay tuned "?
3
Haven't any of these actresses learned the word NO? I won't do that stunt! Or, touch me one more time and you lose it? Plenty of women stand these men down and control their situations.
13
this is a horrible story. so sorry what Uma had to put up with. unforgivable.
5
Thank you Uma. I think your father is right about your reincarnation.
I’m so sorry, Uma. How scary and awful and nightmarish. Thank you for sharing the truth and calling out this selfish, selfish behavior. #timesup
3
Then why wait util now? Why didn't you file a police report when it happened? Did you tell anyone in authority at all? Or was the concern for your acting career greater? You should have said something when it happened. It makes your motives now very suspect.
13
As she sat in her $10 million dollar condo, overlooking central park, feeding her fireplace, she thought about what life would be like if she never succumbed to those animals. Let me help ya uma, life probably wouldn't be living in a $10 million condo, overlooking central park, feeding your fireplace.
18
So, being paid well is supposed to make up for being treated like dirt by men you have put your trust in? Frankly, that's sick and just reinforces the perverted mindset of predators like Weinstein.
2
Just, wow. How do men that are so abusive to women stand on a stage and champion Hillary’s quest for women? The hypocrisy is stunning.
2
Cruelty and love as somehow conjoined is not taught routinely to every little girl.
14
Uma is a great actress. On the other hand Tarrenteno movies are entertainment for degenerates with no redeeming value. She should have seen the flashing caution signal and steered her career clear of the creeps making the films.
7
I have never liked taratino's films for all the cruelty in them. I walked out of Kill Bill & Inglourious Basterds & have never gone to another one of his. When the director thinks gratuitous acts of meaness are "cool", it's time to boycott those films.
14
And we get back to another, perhaps deeper issue: the stories girls and women get to see, create, and tell about their lives. And who picks those stories... what a difference in film and in our larger culture, when women get to shepherd films like FRIDA, WILD, and HIDDEN FIGURES to the screen. Enough with the pornogrification of violence, rape culture, and stylish sadism championed by the Quentins and their ilk. We need more women directors, screen writers, actors of all ages, and backgrounds, and many more projects brought into being that change our larger culture at the deepest level. Women's rights are human rights. We need to give voice to the deeper humanistic values that unite and enlarge us all. It's about time.
27
Jessica Clark: Best comment. Thank you.
2
AGREED!
If anyone is teaching young women to equate “cruelty” with “love”, it’s the people who write, produce...and act in...entertainment that glorifies sexual violence. The pornification of female violence needs to end. It’s misogyny masquerading as entertainment.
3
Now this makes me very very angry. It's as if the crash is a metaphor for all the myriad sexual predation narratives we have been, finally, horribly and painfully hearing. Because putting her in that car's seat, forcing her, because you have the power to do so, and for no other reason, into that brush with not-being, is what every wandering hand and every opened bathrobe do. They take away your agency. Your ability to trust your instincts Your innate ability to survive. It messes with your brakes.It removes your steering. It weakens your clutch. That woman carried off at the end, that is who is saying #metoo to us. This is truly painful to read.
4
It is not just the Uma Thurmans or the Maureen Dowds of the world who are carrying pain and now vocalizing about it, writing about it, featuring it during the Awards Season. We are, and have been, in a washing-out period in America in 2017, and continuing in 2018, in which politics, government, the NFL, "Hollywood" and even the Adult Entertainment Industry is being called out, called down and extremely heavily scrutinized, scrubbed, investigated, prosecuted. As Ms. Dowd points out, not even an avenging good angel could successfully deal with all of the totality of evil and just plain badness that has accumulated in America over these decades. We have conceived, bred, raised, fostered and invested in our own home-grown Hitlers, Stalins, Mussolinis and All-American denizens of the Dark Side. There may be more definitions of "good" in the average dictionary than there are "bad," but the worst of ourselves has thrived for some time in the American environment. Clean-ups, reforms, overhauls, clean sweeps, et. al. are taking too long, not working and the so-called "good guys" are losing. Many, many people have already long since sold their soul out to the negativity of our lives and times.
3
Several things as a result of this discussion. Two I think are obvious: Weinstein is /was/a sexual bully, and no doubt bully in other ways, countenanced by too many like the Donald for his money and power. The "fact" that he's now in a clinic does not persuade me of anything. Two, that one of his accolades, Tarantino, is drawn to the brutal side of our natures. From the horrid PULP FICTION which I could not watch through to KILL BILL and other movies, his films are seen by many as "ironic" as argued to me by hipsters younger than I. It is not that I like musicals and creepily sentimental films either, but Tarantino pushes this to the limit. Not redeeming to me. Uma is a complicated person/woman, as surely the two men in this drama are, but on another level, from her father, the professor, to her own being. Part of her desire must be to perform in other types of film as she is an exotic creature from her looks to her brain. I completely disagree w/the writer who mentioned her showing of her breasts in "Liasons Dangeuruse." Oh gosh that's not the point, to me, at least. Weintstein and Tarantino push sexuality and behavior to other levels at the abyss of cruelty, depravity. It ain't easy to discern art from theater from reality, but personal behavior must be accountable.
5
Many years ago I shared an elevator ride to the top floor of Manhattan Plaza's west tower with Uma Thurman. I was truly only going to the 35th floor, but realizing it was Uma, I waited for her to press a button first. The top floor, naturally. I pressed the button immediately below hers that I might share every possible moment standing beside a woman, whom I, like her father, consider an incarnation of the buddha. Lithe, tall, the famous face, her ash- blonde hair indifferently collected into a simple bundle, we rode up together. Perhaps she realized I'd faked the floor I was to get off on, as she smiled wryly and kindly at me.
It is heartbreaking to see all the horrors this angelic woman has endured to have agency and rights in the heartless power game of big money filmmaking.
It would be cynical to say, well, play with fire and get burned. Ms. Thurman has had to fight long and hard to earn her place at the Hollywood table, and playing intense roles is part of that deal. But, she has every right to her decisions and her personal integrity and dignity. None of those should be up for negotiation in the making of a movie. I find Tarantino as repulsive a figure as Weinstein is. An exploiter. An opportunist. His "vision" a sadomasochistic, inhuman and depraved one, reflecting humanity's basest impulses, gratuitous gore glorified. His films feel like bad sex, something you feel revulsion and regret about forever after. I wish Uma a future of better projects.
229
I have never enjoyed movies or TV shows that centered on violence against women. I do not find the rape and murder of women entertaining. For that reason, I have boycotted such products for years.
Maybe all women should boycott these products. Why would you give their creators your money, time and admiration?
16
Most violent action and horror movies depict fictional violence against males and females. Should women be against only fake violence against women or should they be against fictional media that depicts violence against men as well?
1
Absolutely None of these women are brave.. NONE! It is absolutely inexcusable to keep silent for years.. for decades and allow sexual predators to keep hurting other women.. But every single woman Weinstein attacked kept quiet.. Every one.. They didn't want to hurt their precious careers.. Narcissitic egotists. The women all get their Oscars and their tens of millions and their mansions and then cry 'he hurt me!'.. Nope.. No empathy here
19
Please stay strong Uma, we love you.
There is still much more work to be done.
3
Ooh, Tarantino, so edgy with all that violence, so arty, so deep, so hip. Not. That emperor has no clothes, never did. Hipster schlock exploitation, that's it. Not surprised he ganged up with Weinstein to justify the behavior. Thanks for telling it real, Ms. Thurman.
12
Uma, Thank you for speaking out!
2
I hope she uses her soapbox to denounce Woody Allen, Polanski and other predators. Unlike the cowardly Meryl Streep.
6
And yet Tarantino is still allowed to produce, along with director Roman Polanski. Perhaps justice will rear her lovely hear soon against both of these "men."
6
That complicated feeling fuels my anger these days. We all turned our backs on rape culture and doing so we let it flourish.
8
We are all complicit by validating the nihilistic misogynistic trash that Tarantino makes.
15
Well done, Uma, telling your harrowing tales. Weinstein and Tarantino are both appalling creeps. But I wonder, didn’t you feel a bit creepy yourself, playing that role in Kill Bill? Tarrantino’s movies are just sick and degrading, not the “art” he aspires to. The only exception is Jackie Brown, saved by the humor and humanity of Elmore Leonard, the author of the original book.
6
While #metoo continues to expand the reporting of harasment and assault on women in all fields (yes!), we need to also look at the content of much of film and TV, filled with graphic violence against women. When did this become so commonplace? Even ads for these shows/films are gruesome, with the constant tease of a female victim.
I challenge actresses to think about refusing to play one more rape victim, murder victim, assault victim as "entertainment."
14
Most violent action and horror films depict violence against both males and females. If we as a society as going to decide that fake violence is not okay, why just focus on female "victims?"
2
I had no idea, Uma... I am so sorry that happened to you. All of it.
2
"it’s in the Library of Congress, part of the American narrative." yeah, and so is everything else for which copyright was registered. Including probably every issue of NYT.
5
She could have been killed in that car. Tarantino didn't care. She was a means to an end. An image that he wanted. That's all you need to know.
14
Mistake #1: It’s “had been”, not “has been”. Different implications.
Mistake #2: As the saying goes, “ The first time is perp’s fault, the second time is my fault”
Mistake #3: At 16, where were the parents? Was she legally emancipated? As nuisance as they can be, I give credit to “Momanagers”.
4
Her father thinks she is a reincarnated goddess? Isn't that where the dehumanization begins?
26
Why didn't any of these scores of women who over the years have been molested sexually by their bosses ever come forth? Instead we have
a still growing witch hunt, and from Salem thru McCarthy til now, we all
know what witch hunts do to the body politic...
7
Weinstein pulls out photos of the two of them looking chummy. Are we to believe Thurman, and the other actors he's pulled this same stunt with, are not actors? Of course they know how to carry off a "we're friends" photo op. Give it up, Harvey. We see right through you.
11
And your silence also allowed Weinstein to continue abusing hundreds of other women. Your story sounds self-serving. And not speaking out or filing a report makes it appear you were more concerned about your career than doing the right thing. You could have spared lots of women from being attacked if you acted at the time. It looks like you didn't want to damage your career more.
13
Hollywood kills for fun and profit. Tarintino is the expert director of killing and murdering in the most gruesome ways. Thurman and other actresses are collateral damage.
When Wienstien's note said, "Your instincts are good" that was the signal to run the other way. Women in Hollywood and everywhere else must check their instincts at the door.
4
I hated Pulp Fiction and thought Tarentino has a sick, twisted mind. He and Weinstein deserve each other. I hope Weinstein goes to jail and Tarentino never makes another movie.
11
I believe you Uma. Thank you for speaking up.
5
So Uma truly believes that Quentin made her drive the car because he wanted her dead? How can anyone take her seriously ever again?
10
Tarantino comes off in many of the #metoo stories as a Hitchcock-lite, complicit, manchild who is missing a basic moral compass. Why should he be any more welcome in Hollywood than any of the other deviants, like Weinstein, Spacey, or CK?
4
Tarantino apologized for not doing anything although he was vaguely aware of what Weinstein was up to. Reading this article makes me so angry. That Uma Thurman was forced to do the car scene by Tarantino , in spite of all her reticence and fear, shows that Tarantino is no better than Weinstein. That he did the spitting and choking scenes himself instead of the actors in those scenes shows what a sadistic man he is himself, just as twisted and gruesome like his movies. When will the law walk in to convict this monster of serious charges like murder? They have the tape now which is undeniable proof. But the bloody guy has a lot of money from his bloody movies and so.....
8
Murder?
As Thurman did not die, maybe attempted murder could be the most serious charge. In addition, she chose to drive the car, despite her alleged protests (the other people on set have no recollection of her objections). If she truly did not want to perform the stunt herself, she could have refused and contacted her agent, who she pays enormous sums of money to represent her interests.
Women have agency, too.
2
A horrible tale. I hope legally Ms. Thurman gets a significant settlement for pain and suffering. She should sue both Tarentino and Harvey the rabbit.
I just finished another interview by Dowd with Tim Robbins. Her interview articles are excellent and the NYT would use her more in this format.
2
So They were in a hotel room discussing a project, Weinstein removed his robe and he is now naked, but Thurman said “I thought he was being super idiosyncratic, like this was your kooky, eccentric uncle.” Weinstein thought we have "a flirtatious and fun working relationship.” and now I am naked in front of her and she is following me, thus I may proceed? he acknowledged he misread her signals and immediately apologized. I am not defending Harvey, just saying there's an angle in most story. Is always a good idea to establish certain professional limits, such as don't drink martinis with your boss outside the office, at this point is just a tipsy man and woman, he may do a move because alcohol cause misreading and loose people (of course no is always no) and naturally is not the best idea have a meeting in the suit of your boss naked in front of you.
6
And yet, when Mike Pence and his wife tried to set "professional limits" with his female colleagues, the left bashed him unmercifully.
6
That's because it fuels the narrative that males are incapable of controlling their behavior in the face of a forward woman. Yet, in these comments and all over in response to the stories being told, women are questioned about why THEY didn't leave, or somehow stop the behavior. In the language of conservatives: it appears that men like Pence are 'snowflakes' and can't be held to account for their behavior.
3
just think about how much power Weinstein would have if Hillary won? none of this would have been made public.
7
We glamorize Hollywood but it's pure business, and most business is ugly.
4
Before Harvey Weinstein's sex scandals exploded on the front page of the NY Times America was breathing a collective sigh of relief when the ultimate pervert, disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner, reported to prison as part of a plea deal when he was caught sexting lewd photos of himself to a minor. After completing his sentence Weiner has to register as a sex offender and can't be in the presence of his own son unless he's carefully supervised. No way am I defending Weiner's wrongdoing but I am totally disgusted that Harvey Weinstein is not in custody awaiting trial for the unspeakable things he's done to Uma Thurman!! How come Weinstein isn't under arrest by now for rape and assault?
At least Anthony Weiner is paying the price for his poor judgement in jail. I'm willing to bet anything that Harvey Weinstein is going to evade justice and remain a free man for a long time to come. No way is Weinstein ever going to face the music and get what's coming to him.
5
With Anthony Weiner, there was objective physical evidence in the form of photos that he was guilty. There was proof in the electronic metadata as to the exact dates and times Weiner sent the offending photos to the minor and who he sent the media to.
With Weinstein, what proof is there? Remember that many of these accusations are from years and decades ago. In addition, many of the accusers still chose to work with Weinstein after they say he conducted himself inappropriately with them.
In fact, there is a photo of Uma Thurman and Weinstein having dinner together in 2016. If Weinstein was brought to trial, would not the defense attorney ask Thurman on the witness stand:
"If Weinstein attempted to rape you in the past, why would you choose to later have dinner with your attempted rapist?"
2
Uma's story should be a lesson for any woman who wants to work at the highest levels of a cut- throat industry like Hollywood. If you want to compete with men, be an action movie star like a man, you need to be tough like a man. Men are 100% willing to risk their lives for their art. Compare Uma's stunt to dozens of much, much more dangerous stunts Tom Cruise does on every movie, and the serious injuries he's accumulated from various car and motorcycle wrecks and falls gone wrong. Men are daring. Men are risk takers. We are socialized from birth to be bold, brave, reckless, and tough. If you can't keep up, make your own damn movie.
5
Uma says she has "complicated" feelings about Weinstein, but the author of this piece clearly does not, and so there is a tension between the impression the author wants to leave us with and what her source, UT, has to say.
UT's encounter with an unnamed actor lacks detail. For such a serious (implicit) charge, concrete details are lacking while abstractions are plentiful. Same with Weinstein. The article states he "tried" (implying he failed) to do all sorts of vile things. How did Weinstein, this big guy, fail to "shove himself" on her, fail to expose himself? Did his zipper get stuck? Did she cause him to stop with an icy gaze? What actually happened? It's serious stuff so to leave critical details to the imagination is inappropriate.
Then the car accident, which could have killed her. Male action stars are injured with regularity, such as Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise. Brandon Lee died filming. Female action stars get injured, too, such as Angelina Jolie. It's unsurprising any action star would face risks. It's therefore hard to view Uma's car accident as the result of gender bias or targeting. Here are the people to blame: Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman. The author says UT drew the line, but clearly she did not. Ultimately she was in control of whether she would get into the car and drive it. But implicitly to conflate this with Weinstein's sexual abuses makes no sense. Safety is a distinct, but very serious, issue for all action actors male and female.
11
Sadistic on Tarantino's part that he would even have her driving that car. From behind, a teamster in a blonde wig could have passed.
4
Weinstein is a monster, but why didn't any of these women go public with accounts of his sexual assault in the aftermath of these incidents? How on Earth can your career be more important the protection of your personal dignity?
4
this is an impressive account. The parts about Weinstein do not surprise. The parts about Tarantino testifies to the possibility that behind the screen violence he so clearly LOVES, is perhaps a personality in sync with aberrance and abuse.
Very touching and sad.
4
Apparently this guy "Weinstein" controlled all of Hollywood, and Hollywood was the only place in the world where actors could find work, so of course they couldn't say "No."
4
I am so sick of everyone praising these actresses for being brave. It is easy to be "brave" after Weinstein was finally outed for being the slimy predator he is and an a avalanche of women finally come forward to describe what he did to them. A brave person would have come forward years before he hurt so many others and before they got really rich. Maybe they didn't know, and thought they were the only ones singled out by this monster or that no one would believe them. He will likely get away with everything except humiliation of being caught and all the sordid details spilling out. But I have read that extreme narcissistic men like him just don't care. What she gets right here is the association that we women have that it is somehow ok or part of some complicated love, for men to be cruel to us. I can relate to that. Many women can.
Thanks for noting her glamorous apartment and speaking to her until 3 am. Details that are completely unnecessary and incongruous to this story.
Also, the car incident is incomplete. Was that car rigged to hurt or kill her?! You certainly imply that. She was warned, you say, about that car not being safe, she was scared and yet did it anyway and was seriously injured. Why weren't there greater consequences for that? The incident you described makes Tarantino look culpable. She should show that footage. Everything else is public, why not that.
What a horrible story. Yuck. Why did everyone let this go on for so long.
6
Perhaps you didn't see the footage is included with this piece.
3
Looks like Weinstein didn't carry through on whatever threats he made to her career. Guess she made enough money for him that she was "safe" that way. What a nasty man.
3
They like to say these movies are a reflection of American society. No it's not, it's a reflection of the demented minds making these movies. I have no doubt some of those minds are sociopathic.
2
There are many sociopaths in our society and most of them are not famous.
2
I can't stop thinking about this since I read it nearly 24 hours ago.
I can't stop thinking about the comments, some of them quite high on Readers' Picks, blaming Uma, one man pivoting to say that what happened to Uma was not horrific like having your legs blown off because she received a big paycheck or another man pivoting to say how horribly women treated him at his company, something entirely unrelated to sexual assault, but chosen as a NYT Picks and "Recommended" by hundreds of people.
I'm not naive to think that mankind has not lacked humanity throughout history and now should have reached some sort of enlightenment, but there is a very strange lack of empathy in a number of these reactions and comments to this story.
The idea that the first sexual assault of Ms. Thurman occurred at the age of 16 is so upsetting, but it somehow didn't even register with a number of the readers of this piece.
This reason I read the NYTimes is because I love the terrific reporting, the outstanding investigative articles, the fantastic thought-provoking writing. I also like reading the reader's comments because, at times, they are outstanding in and of themselves.
But, all these stories about sexual assault are bringing out something that is really disturbing. It's a dismissiveness, a pivoting, a callousness that makes me feel that we are so far from where we need to be as a society to protect women and really change how we treat one another.
19
Ms. Thurman has always had the inner strength, the POWER to leverage against weak, flawed men like Weinstein, Tarantino and her ex-husbands & boyfriends.
Yet, in a serial manner, she has defaulted and taken the bottom position in a serial manner to these lesser humans.
Why ?
Approval. Maybe.
Hard to imagine Kate Hepburn suffering these fools .
4
Perhaps you don't realize that these two you describe as weak are weak in character and humanity but were extremely powerful in the movie business.
Our Ms. Dowd turns out to be pretty good at telling another person's horrifying story. I suppose we should continue to think that not everyone in Hollywood positions of power is a slimeball. It is getting harder.
1
Wow. I'm stunned. And this shows that the abuse towards women can, but doesn't have to be sexualized to be abuse, or to make it a pandemic. What Taarentino did to her is in some ways worse than Weinstein.
7
He wanted her to do a stunt, like multitudes of male actors have done. Equality?
1
“They were yellow. And I opened the note like it was a soiled diaper and it just said, ‘You have great instincts.’”
Weinstein's soul is a soiled diaper.
Seriously, how come Weinstein and his assistants haven't been charged with sexual assault or rape, or abetting such assaults?
4
So much fluffing for the #MeToo crowd, most can't think critically about this stuff. I have no apology for Weinstein, but the narrative about Tarantino seems disjointed and as a blatant attempt to smear him with the same brush as Weinstein. Tarantino does seem to be a jerk, and quite demanding and perhaps even abusive at times as a director - but that's not sexual assault. And there are many directors who are super intense on set with actors. I'm not saying it's good or even excusable, but it seems to me to be an utterly separate issue.
By conflating this with her account of Weinstein's behavior, it cheapens Ms. Thurman's own stance. By her own account, her one mention of the first episode with Harvey was taken by Tarantino as Harvey making an aggressive pass, that's it. Not a crime, folks - at least to what he thought. But when he senses all that tension years later, he takes it seriously, intervenes, has a sit down, tries to resolve it
In Uma's own account this would have been seen by Tarantino too as a real attempt at an apology by Weinstein. The treatment on set seems unrelated to me, and not deserving of being included in a story about sexual abuse and assault.
Why do feminists have to push this so far? Why can't Uma separate the two? Let me qualify this by offering that if there is more to the story, by all means tell it. But she's hurt her own credibility with me now.
6
Is there or has there ever been anywhere a brave accomplished, strong, talented and celebrated female who does not have in her history an experience of assault, abuse, or denigration at the hands of a man in a more powerful position? A father, a boss, a teacher, a counselor or even a stranger? A Weintein, a Tarantino. I don't think so. Never get off this #MeToo train, until the last abuser is vanquished.
2
Uma Thurman, one of the most famous women in the world, was treated this way. So you can imagine how porn "stars" are treated every day. And yet people still watch it.
3
Who would have thought that Quentin Tarantino would possibly want a woman to be hurt or killed?
1
I never understood why Uma wanted to make movies with this idiot savant of filmmakers, an overgrown garrulous baby who glorifies violence to obscene lengths. I find Kill Bill repulsive. I don’t blame Uma for her choices, she picked unconventional films and good for her, but I am not in the least surprised that Tarantino turned out to be an exploiter. All his movies are exploitative.
7
QT called her "my muse "
I feel as though Tarantino and all of Weinstein's facilitator's have gotten a free pass on Weinstein's behavior. "We we're just doing what we were told to do". Where have you heard that before? Being complicit in someone else's bad deed's makes you an accomplice. A getaway driver is just as responsible as the bank robber...when will we see Tarantino and Weinstein's accomplices held to account for their part in enabling Weinstein?
2
Studio apt. at 16.. Got a lawyer involved with the car crash two weeks after the incident... This is not a babe in the woods...Her parent (Bob thurman) and her mother I am sure are also very sophisticated when it comes to the so-called ways of the world. And she accepted to be in the Tarantino movies which I consider frankly porn... or worse than porn... slash and burn ..NOT FuNNY. Well edited.
That said.. the story I would really like to hear is the one from Hillary Clinton, whom I consider yet another abused woman...
BTW how are all of these abused women going to manage to make a difference for the girls coming up.. Legal defense funds? shelters? changed identities? Anyone who thinks sexual abuse is going away does not know how the world works.
3
Some of us who actually work in the film business in LA are amused to hear that these prim flowers were so horribly abused by these monsters of depravity. When I think of how much money and fame was at stake, and how everybody in this incestuous little community knows the unwritten rules, it's hard to muster too much sympathy for this. Are weinstein, Tarantino and their ilk creeps? Undoubtedly. But to quote Hunter S. Thompson (a creep himself), "I'd swim underwater and [mate with] fish for that kind of money, just show me who's paying!" Will the removal of the Alpha Males and their ape-like proclivities lead to the production of better films in the future or are they an integral part of the filmmaking process, forcing a bunch of egomaniacal bohemians to act as a team? We'll see.
8
As always, well written by MODO.
My question is, how does this get past the editors table? I do not ask with any disrespect. I have never worked in journalism. It just seems to me to afford over 3000 words to Ms. Thurman allowing her to describe the horrible assaults on her by Mr. Weinstein and boorish behavior of Mr. Tarantino is wasted space for such a powerful tool as the NYT.
Ms. Thurman, who I think is a great actress and I am sure is a fine person, has the resources---well earned---to tell this story elsewhere.
The NYT, I would think, and MODO, should give 3000 words to the twice divorced mother of three working two jobs; at the Gas n Go and Applebees, where she needs to navigate the indignities of sexual harassment without the resources or security Ms. Thurman has at her disposal. #harveycreep #girlsincharge #datewithmodo
5
Ms. Thurman got into a Karmann Ghia with unbolted seats that a Teamster told her was not entirely safe? I'm noot sure that Mr. Weinstein is her biggest problem.
5
Amazed at Tarentino’s ability to market milk shakes and quintessential heroin in the same movie while others said genius I said schlock miester. Spinning interconnecting jailhouse stories don’t spell talent. Maybe her father is right she could be a goddess but was she prepared for the sleaze that’s part of her profession.
“She’s an actress not a stunt driver”(?). Ethan next time bring brass knuckles and not rationalizations.
2
Tarantino is stylized sadism and Weinstein a sexual bully. Uma is a terrific actress. How terrible she did not get discovered by a better producer and director. Poor woman.
4
The story about Tarantino should come as no surprise to anyone given that TARATINO ONCE BIT AN ACTRESS SO HARD THAT SHE BLEED FROM THE WOUND on the set of Planet Terror, and I hope that there is more attention called to his behavior in the future.
I've known what kind of a person he was since I got the Grindhouse dvd when it was released (which contains both Death Proof and Planet Terror). Basically, just for fun (and unrelated to his later appearance in the movie) Taratino plays a zombie in a horde chasing a character down a road. The behind the scenes footage shows what happened with the bite and her reaction to it.
There wasn't even a scripted / plot related call for her to bite her (which wasn't even depicted on screen)- he, as a human being, just decided to "get into the role" and bite her and to do it so hard that she bled from the puncture wounds made by his teeth.
Shocking as that was, the most disturbing part was the continued behind the scenes footage of the actress laughing it off as she sat there bleeding from a human bite wound, saying "oh, that Quentin- haha!!". Between his horrifying behavior and her need to excuse it for him, I have always known that there was something very sick and ugly going on on his sets. :-/
4
If she had not submitted, another relative unknown would have. Then she would have become the superstar and Uma would still be waiting tables.
Not saying its right....just saying that its been this way since Chaplin and the silent movies of the 1910's. Is it really a shock that the way most people get their break in Hollywierd(men as well as women) is making the choice to be bedded by a perv?? They all have the same level of talent and looks. If you aren't willing there are 10 potentials in the next room who are.
Just the way things are in The Land of Fruits and Nuts.
3
Wow.
You know what I am noticing about the #metoo movement? That we women are beginning to own and speak our truth, perceptions of others be dammed. That incident with the driving is very telling..... She was clearly not valued as a partner, a person and a female. Her voice was not heard then, but we hear it now. Loudly.
Here is something......
.....years ago, I was dating someone. I can look back now with clarity and see he mistreated me. We were so conditioned back then to experience certain behaviors that we took it. You know what though? I sure would have clarity today--and better yet, so would my daughter and her friends.
Bravo, Uma, bravo!
3
Tarantino is a sick puppy who makes ridiculously violent movies. I hope that in the future, women will steer clear of him. His time to use them to fulfill his horrid fantasies is over.
5
She was part of the cover up and became very, very wealthy and famous as a direct result of that participation. She is now appearing on Broadway, her silence and her ensuing fame and her powerful movie star agents helping her perhaps take a job away from a brilliant theatre actress. I hope this is only the beginning of Ms. Thurman's thoughts and introspection and courageous revelations about her harrowing first-hand experiences. She needs to name names, particularly at her former agency. We need to know who knew. A lot of people have still been protected by their own silence and the silence of others.
Sag-Aftra should not allow their union members to appear in any more Quentin Tarantino films, and everyone at CAA
3
I just watched Uma on Colbert last night and she seemed nervous and fragile and I thought she was nervous that he might ask about Weinstein but of course Colbert would never do that without a previous agreement. I realize now she was probably feeling like this is the last time I'll be in public without everyone knowing about my rape and abuse.
All respect to you Uma.
3
The thing that strikes me most is that Weinstein and Thurman are arguing when suddenly his bathrobe appears. It seems he had respect for her and when he lost that respect, he switched into seeing her through a predatory sexual lens. This speaks to a very fundamental pattern: that sex and disrespect are some how entangled. I can't explain it. I don't understand it. But men know that this exists and they should fix it.
2
What shocks me is the complicity of Tarentino - he valued the power of Weinstein over the safety of the performers he worked with.
1
I can't figure out what I'm reading in this article. The opening paragraph says Ms. Thurman was raped -- was that by the unidentified older man when she was 16, who "coerced" her into being "compliant" though she didn't bother to find out whether the door was unlocked and she was free to leave? Then she was "sexually assaulted" by Harvey Weinstein, in the form of him doing some gross and aggressive things: "...tried to shove himself on me... tried to expose himself... all sorts of unpleasant things. But he didn't actually put his back into it and force me." And later he sent her a "vulgar" bunch of roses and repeatedly apologized. Then she came out of a meeting "disheveled" and "out of control" because he had threatened to derail her career, apparently after she told him "...you will lose your career, your reputation, and your family, I promise you." So was this a sexual attack at the Savoy, or an exchange of career-damage threats?
And then she was "mangled in hot steel" when Tarantino insisted she do the stunt of driving a messed-up car at 40 mph. Is this also supposed to be interpreted as sex-related abuse, or was it an on-the-job injury case (the kind of reckless judgment I can picture a whacked director like Tarantino committing on a daily basis) that involved lawyers for 15 years? I'm confused.
I'm perfectly willing to be outraged, if only I understood what was so extraordinarily outrageous. Were any of these events criminal?
19
Everywhere in the world they hurt little girls.
And women.
Uma is a survivor and I admire her for standing and fighting and still being amazing. Weinstein is garbage and Tarantino is weak. So much of the MeToo highlights not only how awful the predators were, but also how weak, ineffectual, and enabling so many men around them were, too.
30
She's angry because she knew what Harvey was 20 years ago and did nothing about it. Her career was more important.
30
We should be angry that she had to make that particular choice.
7
Agree, Rita. Would be great if the tables should turn, with men having to make such choices. All I️ can say is, men: watch it. What comes around goes around.
This is a horrible story and sickening. I am sorry that she felt compelled to participate in the Kill Bill Movies. Some of the most sadistic and twisted movies made in the last 20 years. One question I would love for her to answer is what about those scripts was she attracted to -- why did she participate -- what was redeeming. Truthfully those movies made me so sick I couldn't finish watching them. Why Uma? Why did you make them?
39
There are some who will sell themselves out for money, whether selling out means actively participating in creating extraordinarily violent movies, copulating with people who you do not wish to copulate with and later regretting it, and voluntarily associating with people who you claim attempted to sexually assault you.
2
I suspect the connection and confusion between love and cruelty come with boys who pull girls' hair because they are "smitten." In high school, one would chase me and tie my wrap-around skirt to a pole. More than 50 years later, he told me he had a crush on me. He's not a mean man.
But these boys didn't do more than what I mentioned. Others did. No girl or woman should ever accept possessiveness, sexual aggression or abuse as a sign of "love."
12
Really horrifying. Both little girls AND little boys are taught that eros and thanatos are connected - boys are taught to be the perpetrators and girls the victims. In truth, both are victims. Only by sharing stories like Ms. Thurman's will the patriarchy ever begin to be discredited - changed may be too much to hope for. Very brave of her to come forward with all of this even now.
9
Why, when performing a difficult stunt, is there no medical team standing by? Wouldn't you think - ??
8
People worship Tarantino, but when you break down his movies, they all amount to this: Somebody is deeply harmed by someone else, and as a result, they go on a violent rampage (killing a theater full of people, torturing, mass murder) -- and the rampage is supposed to be justified for the audience because it's revenge.
It's just an orgy of graphic violence in the name of revenge, with some slick style-choices laid on top. And the films never take into account the consequences of violence on real human beings. All narcissists see themselves as victims on some level, don't they?
It surprises me not at all to hear that Tarantino, like Weinstein, sees everything (including permanently scarring his lead actress) as justifiable in the name of his narcissistic needs.
Uma Thurman is better off without them both. Frankly, we all are.
58
I'm proud of Uma's honesty, too many women enabled egregious behavior to protect themselves and their industry from known illegality. That is one reason Hollywood hasn't changed with the times. Actresses, now shouting out rightful indignities only goes so far, though, because for every actress who shouts out, there are thousands of actresses who won't. That leads directly to the Meryl Streepe feign of ignorance needing a reckoning. She knows what her industry is. She was adulated and attained so much power for attacking people outside her industry, while turning a blind eye within it. She wasted enormous capital, where she could have helped....but then she wouldn't have become a darling.
13
If this story had been the only one to come out about Weinstein, it would have been met with a shrug. He made a pass at her in London or Paris (not quite straight on the story) and she got into a car accident on a movie set which she blames on QT.
But in context with all the other accusations against Weinstein, it comes off villainous.
Which leads me to one question:
when will someone actually indict him in a court of law?
13
This story is fraught with hurt and pain, physical and mentally. Tarantino messed up, obviously. Wondering: Why would Tarantino purposely put his #1 asset and star (and friend) in danger? How does one “shot” take precedence creatively if he really thought it was risky? It doesn’t make sense. Too bad Tarantino didn’t want to comment on the article, too, and clear up his thinking.
9
A co-worker of mine, who was the business manager, was asked by our boss to make some illegal changes in the organization's account. She answered "What if I didn't!" He responded "Then consider yourself fired."
When she showed up for work the next day, her office was locked. She told a close friend of hers "I didn't think it would happen." We need more people to stand up for what they believe...but not after the fact. Sorry, Ulma.
14
Hollywood Dynasties have grown more sick, money-driven, evil, and blatantly sexist than any of us could ever have imagined back in earlier times! Our family is now forever divorced from Hollywood's depravity, and, thus, we will Never go to another Hollywood movie! There re plenty of other far better things for which to use our limited time on earth!
4
I feel very deeply about the horror you went through, and the immense self-doubt and destruction it caused (and still causes) you.
Weinstein’s behavior is the prototype of a psychopath who gradually lures his prey into believing they are safe, even as his behavior begins to break norms. So many women, like you, like me, like so many others, were never prepared to detect these psychopaths in our midsts. Nor how to protect and extricate ourselves once the real danger begins.
It is often only after everything falls apart and we are left in a heap that, sometimes years later, we understand what happened to us. (For those unfamiliar with these little know, real life dynamics, you might read “Psychopath Free.” The audiobook version is especially good; the gentle voice of the narrator provides a sense of safety and reassurance as he discusses the very scary, damaging effects of what took place—and how to begin to heal.)
Ms. Urman, thank you for your courage in sharing your story. I believe it calls attention to a form of abuse that has not yet become part of this current, national conversation. Your story may help save many women, many who are outside of the film industry, who are in danger of falling prey to psychopathic abuse.
God speed in your healing.
6
Quentin Tarrantino and his films are as much representative of what has been wrong with our entertainment addicted, misogynist, violent, greedy, selfish society as Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump are.
That his films were taken for serious art has always filled me with great sadness.
42
I'd never heard of this car "accident," but we see Tim Cruise bruising himself relentlessly. I bet you Disney had something to do with the silencing...brave work when a guy does it, but worth burying if it's not the woman's idea.
2
It is not easy to speak out, and Ms. Thurman deserves our respect.
As I read through the comments I’m concerned that we are creating a false assumption that all men are sexist pigs, and all women are passive recipients of abuse.
The men I surround myself with are kind, gentle, and loving. They treat younger women as sisters, and older women like mothers. They are taught to cherish and love their wives sacrificially.
And I believe we need to expect and teach women to stand up for themselves even if in doing so they limit their advancement. Just like some men do when they refuse to participate in sexist, racist, or demeaning behavior by other men and suffer in their advancement for not going along.
Unfortunately there are men and women who sacrifice their character for advancement. For men who participate or look the other way, and the women who sacrifice their character by using their sexuality to advance their careers. Both of these encourage bad behavior for the next victim.
Lastly, women have two legs, and a brain. Don’t allow yourself to be put in a compromising position. Walk out, call out the perpetrator on their behavior. You might suffer advancement, but you will feel empowered rather than a victim.
16
Why is Hollywood so outraged over the actions of filthy degenerates after so many years? They all knew what was going on and they were all a part of it. Those who knew about the attackers ignored and disregarded the stories. Those who were attacked said nothing so as not to jeopardize their career. These are all choices that each individual made. Hollywood has always been filled with individuals seeking to exploit or be exploited. There were never any morals or ethics involved back then or now. Celebrities placing a pin on their lapels is exactly the same as celebrities keeping quite all those years. They are only in it for their own survival. Not because they are outraged or have any morals. They are all hypocrites. They are all guilty.
17
With all due respect to Ms. Thurman - but what about the stories of the many women who aren't white, rich and not a celebrity? Are they not as important in this movement? Seems like that and it's pathetic.
12
Absolutely stunning story by Maureen Dowd,. A brutal gut wrenching account by Uma Thurman that had me sobbing at the end over this thought, "I think as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love have a connection."
Uma's brave admission of that horrible reality opened the floodgates once again to my own experiences as a little girl. I still don't want to believe that the man I loved when I was four years old could have been capable of the things he did. But he was. He's dead now and the people who would never have believed the man they knew and loved would do such things are dead and gone themselves. The others can make of this what they will. I won't protect his 'honor' anymore.
I spent a lifetime fighting to keep the gorge down, sublimating it into the sadomasochistic sexual fantasies that became part of what I thought was a healthy exploration of my sexuality. How harmless really are the bodice ripping stories that turn so many women on? Why was 'Fifty Shades of Grey' such an enormous hit? Is it encoded in our DNA and a natural part of ourselves?
Thurman's brave and extremely tender and powerful account of what it feels like to have been violated blows the lid off that conceit. I thank her and Maureen Dowd for telling this story. I hope and pray we may some day evolve to the point where men and women, fathers and daughters can exist on a world where love and cruelty do not perforce walk hand in hand.
9
We women are often used as a means to an end by men, aren't we? And that makes me mad, too.
7
More confirmation that Weinstein is a monster, a very sick guy, and hopefully will face jail time. And Tarantino has no ethics. I've never understood the appeal of his movies - needlessly violent, silly and shallow. He aspires to be Hitchcock, or maybe Brian DePalma, but to me his films are more like a
the work of a film student trying to show off. His treatment of Uma Thurman mirrors his way with a script.
19
Just watched the video of the car accident. I am in utter disbelief that Thurman was told to drive down that "straight" road at 40 mph. How about a walk-through first? How about "let's do it once at 10-15-mph?" Then to see Tarantino stroking her arm... disgusting.
9
Once famous actresses tell their stories THEN it becomes a national, social crisis and we all need to pay attention!
6
I am grateful for parents who raised me to use my common sense and to never knowingly put myself in a potentially dangerous situation with a man. Any woman who finds herself in a hotel room with a man wearing a bathrobe should not be surprised when he makes a pass at her. If you have been sexually assaulted in someone's hotel room, why would you put yourself in danger of an additional sexual assault by going to that man's hotel room again? Yes, I get it, he's at fault, don't blame the victim, but hard to sympathize with such poor judgement.
12
Good thing Thurman went to the police and filed charges for sexual assault immedately after all of these incidents. Oh, she didn’t? Not one?
Well, good thing she stopped working with Harvey after the incident in London! Otherwise, he might think she considered his advances a minor annoyance, something she was willing to put up with to advance her career. Oh, she didn’t?
Maybe Harvey continued to assault her and other actresses with whom he worked because he thought he could get away with it. Oh, he did?
20
These movies gave me the creeps when I watched, just to see what everyone was talking about. Perversion of so many parts of life, nothing really creative or beautiful about ANY of them, sorry. Weinstein and Tarantino used Uma and threw her away. I hope she can heal her heart.
9
Do not actors read the scripts before they agree to their roles? If so, Uma Thurman knew what she was getting into before she signed the contract for the movies that she participated in. In addition, as Tarantino is well-known for his excessively violent movies, it would not be a surprise to Thurman as to the nature of these movies.
When it comes to the content of Tarantino's movies, Thurman is not a victim, but a participant.
1
Does she think Tarantino was trying to kill her? She seems a bit strange, so its hard to know. CAA deserves much of the blame. Agents are supposed to protect their clients, not feed off them like vampires.
5
Thank you, Uma Thurman.
Oprah Winfrey once famously said "If somebody hits you, that means they don't like you."
This is a hard thing for girls and women to learn. We get so many 'mixed messages' from men, so many excuses, so many lies.
Quentin Tarantino should be drummed out of the movie business. His excuses for his behavior should not stand. He has failed those he works with.
The failure is massive. Hopefully actors will refuse to work for him again now that the truth is out.
Hopefully Harvey Weinstein is going to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Thank you for your courage in speaking out, Uma.
11
Our entertainment industry consists of a steady stream of violence against women, in almost every movie made by and for men: rape, "accidents," torture, cruelty, demonization. Misogyny is the STAPLE of our entertainment industries, from Hollywood to Bollywood. It has been the glaring omission in the discussion about heinous behavior in Hollywood--we consume violence against women every day, day in, day out, on TV, in movies, video games, male-dominated discussions online. It is the main attraction, not the side show.
Why does almost every Disney film begin by killing the mother? Because mothers spoil the fun, in male-defined storytelling. Why are women punished for sexuality, from slasher films like Friday the 13th to tear jerkers like Terms of Endearment. (Deborah Winger finds sexual satisfaction & self determination--then she must die.) Watch films through this lens--women are not only underrepresented, are not only excluded from dialogue unless they are talking about men, are not only excluded from positions of recognition & power like directors & producers--they are despised, openly, through the plot lines of trivialization, rape, maiming and murder. Why are there so many films out there right now with titles that feature the word "girl" in reference to a WOMAN? Count them. We infantilize, we rape, we crush women in our cultural story telling. And if a woman tries to tell a story that doesn't do this, it's called a a "chick flick" & is deemed not financially viable.
23
When it comes to violent movies, men are also the "victims" of this manufactured violence. Most action and horror movies have both sexes on the receiving end of violence.
Are you suggesting that movies which depict violence should only have male victims, but not female victims?
I do not understand the lack of moral self-awareness and responsibility of Ms. Thurman and other actresses who like her choose to, in exchange for money and fame, participate in the creation of films that degrade women and glorify violence (against women AND men). Do they bear no responsibility at all? Are they innocent lambs led to the slaughter by ruthless, violent men? If we hold men responsible for not abetting or encouraging other men's violence against women, in word or deed, why is it that women get a pass? Hollywood's creations have had a very powerful impact on our culture and the lives of men and women living in this culture and those who made these creations bear responsibility, which they've most abrogated by hiding behind the banner of "art". And it is not just directors.. it's also the actors, and all who participate. Ms. Thurman, you cannot make a pact with the devil and star in his blood-soaked fantasies, yet demand that he's gentle and nice to you. That is not how our world works and perhaps if you weren't such a goddess, you'd have had the humility to realize it.
18
At individual level, we (men and especially women) must be assertive when encountering any type of bullies, taking a strong stand against anyone who dares to treat us unfairly unjustly or even worse, brutally.
In short, we must not give in even one inch.
Collectively, we must resist any bully who dares to sabotage our sense of true and false, our rule of law, our tried and true democratic values, and the reputation of our hard working professionals (i.e. FBI).
And now that bully is Trump. We must collectively resist and resist, resist..... We must render this bully powerless by voting Republicans out of the house majority and eliminate Speaker Ryan, the #1 accomplice of Trump.
6
Seriously, is anyone really surprised at all by any of this? The movie she was filming has the word "Kill" in the title. There is no lower level of depravity than that which comes out of Hollywood. In 1994, my husband and I walked out of Pulp Fiction after maybe 15 minutes. It's all we could stomach. To this day, I still cannot understand how one can be entertained by watching people mistreat, torture and kill each other. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart." What does this say about those who pay money to see this? I didn't need to wait until 2017 to realize that Weinstein, Tarantino and many others in Hollywood are repugnant - I saw 15 minutes of a movie they created more than 20 years ago and it was obvious to me. Beneath the phony glitz and glamour, Hollywood is a world made up of horribly immoral, debased, loathsome human beings. I have no interest in returning to a movie theater ever again. Why would I spend my hard-earned money to be sickened by this misery? And based on declining movie attendance, it's clear that I'm in the majority...
22
Too bad Ms. Thurman didn't listen to more of her father's Buddhist messages. Perhaps she would have avoided demons like Weinstein and Tarantino who both could feature easily on Tibetan devil thankas. She has a particular aura that fit in nicely with the movies she made but as she admits she paid a terrible price for that top billing.
8
From the first time I saw him, Tarantino has always seemed totally off-kilter, beyond eccentric. You know, just nuts. Suspicions confirmed: some people will do anything to anybody to 'get the shot'.
7
To those who judge or second guess Ms. Thurman's motives or strength of character for not speaking out sooner about abuse by Harvey Weinstein please be advised that his article does not address the full measure of what she has endured. It is public record that Ms. Thurman was stalked for years. This must have added tremendously to her allostatic load.
My heart goes out to you Ms. Thurman. May you thrive in body, mind and spirit.
6
So just to be clear about who Quentin Tarantino is, after this crash he made a movie starring her stunt double, where he kills off Rose McGowans character (in a blond wig) by having her crash through a windshield.
11
I'm amazed the crew was so reckless as to move you after the accident and not wait for EMTs. I feel bad for you, to have been so betrayed by Tarantino's treatment of you. The fact that he performed those abusive acts on you during filming seems a little perverted. Commiting vicarious assault.
10
lke most of hollywood females, she knew this as the price of an acting career and willingly paid it... she may not have liked it, but she could've walked away at any time. she chose not to and obviously felt/feels it was worth it.
7
She's lucky to be alive after that crash. A true heroine. I believe she survived to bring those responsible the reckoning they deserve.
4
Hard to fathom how Quentin and Weinstein repeatedly failed this muse who was responsible for their success.
It is heartbreaking.
I will no longer watch any Tarantino or Weinstein product.
9
Thurman is an actress whose integrity, sensitivity and strength have always inspired me. The courage of her vulnerability is providing us with a glimpse of what humaneness can be like and an unforgiving mirror for the grubby, greedy, lusty, violent bully figures such as Weinstein. And I will never watch a Tarrantino film again.
7
Gratuitous screen violence, it’s focus on women and marginalized people is not coincidental...neither when I was terrified of it as a young girl or as I’m learning more as adult. Boycott this senseless - it is putting more than money into wealthy, powerful men’s pockets.
6
It’s hard making friends with women. They usually suspect you have ulterior motives, and often they are right. No matter, I have managed to form true friendships with several women. I can always tell when we’ve formed a bond. The horror stories about men come pouring out. I listen, shake my head and wonder. In the end, I think a lot of this “me too” stuff is just guys with mommy issues. It’s too bad that all boys don’t have strong, protective and affectionate mothers like I did.
7
One thing people fail to mention is that Hollywood is business that produces only three types of product. Movies that are cute morality tales sold to parents for their kids, comic book movies for pre-adolescents, and for the rest of us, movies that rely heavily on violence and flesh peddling. It is that way because it is handsomely rewarded for being that way by its customers, in other words, us. Hollywood merely supplies the demands of the culture, which has turned sex into a commodity. Very successfully. Hollywood “holds the mirror up to nature”. You can not have a culture that dissociates sex from human intimacy and then expect it’s members to act in humane ways.
6
Thanks for this, and for all the Times coverage of #MeToo, both the personal experiences and the thoughts about the larger issues involved.
That last paragraph - goosebumps, girl, I could write the same my self, I am your age. And I am still working toward really living that truth, and struggling with memories like these conveniently half-forgotten(with not-famous or particularly powerful men, but there's the rub -- this happens in all kinds of contexts with men from every walk of life)...
And thinking of my daughter, and praying it is a different enough world, and that I have raised her not to be such a 'good girl' that she puts up with this type of abuse and nonsense.
3
I agree with many of the highly rated comments. That film of her crash was horrific - knowing as we did she was driving a death trap. One question that I have is how many actors and stuntpeople have been hurt or killed in Tarantino's films? And in other films?
Here in Vancouver, the making of Deadpool 2 recently saw a female motorcycle rider die in an accident during rehearsal. Was she smiling and "going along to get along" and did that stunt without proper safeguards? Who knows. The story seems to be buried, along with the actors and stunt people who have died on the job.
It is, as one commenter said here, a case of an economic structure and moviemaking power structure where people, even a star like Uma Thurman, are considered as objects to be used, and discarded when they are injured, killed or get older.
Jeez, the more I read about people, the more I like dogs.
10
Amazing story. I doubt I'll watch Kill Bill again
As a "car person" I would say that the wreck she had was going to happen. Take a rear-engined VW Karmann-Ghia. Add a heavy cinema camera on the rear - probably mounted on back bumper and engine cover. That puts about 80% (or more) of the car weight on the rear wheels. So with 20% (or less) of the car weight on front wheels steering becomes difficult. THEN on a sandy road? AJ Foyt would have trouble with that combination.
6
There is another form of abuse going around, along with no fault sexual abuse settlements, there is the non-compete agreement that is imposed on workers as a condition for further employment. My neighbor is being asked to sign an agreement that prevents her from working in her profession for two years, as a condition for continuing her employment, although there is no provision that would ensure her continuing employment. She could be laid off or fired tomorrow. Employers are really abusing employees, any way they can. Especially when you don't have the resources to refuse.
5
Thank you so much for sharing your story. You put into words what so many women have felt they cannot say. Thank you Uma.
1
Life can be hard and complicated. Thank you for sharing your story.
1
As would any civilized man, I am appalled at the harassment endured by Ms. Thurman.
Having said that, it would also appear that the timing of Ms. Thurman revelations is being used as a self-serving manipulation of the media. A la Donald Trump, she uses the tease (“I’m angry and I’ll tell you why when I feel like it”) to further her own ends (may I suggest publicity for her Broadway show, which currently offers a plethora of discounted tickets.)
Women’s right are civil right and civil rights should not be viewed as a commodity.
4
Unspeakably awful and inexcusable. They are lucky she took the high road of law and face-to-face accountability. I'm not sure I, even as the ordained I am, that I would have been so noble. And if it were my daughter, you can be sure nobility would be a second-tier consideration in exacting justice.
Ms. Thurman, you are brave, indeed. And being treated, as you rightly point out, as disposable but adored, is a sick/perverted and disgusting combination. No wonder it leaves any sane, healthy human stunned, confused and (temporarily) broken.
2
Ms. Thurman, Thank you for sharing your story. I'm so sorry for all of your suffering.
2
Ms. Thurman chose to star in movies that glorified violence and cheapened sex, the consequences of which we are all living with today. The car crash and the unwanted sex stuff were wrong, but what did she expect? Gentlemen? After 10 minutes of a "Reservoir Dogs" screening in L.A., I walked out and never looked at another Tarantino movie. Neither should have Thurman.
6
The #MeToo campaign is a campaign birthed by female agents at CAA in response to all that was unfolding and being exposed in late 2017. The campaign was then supported by female clients, like Alyssa Milano and Reese Witherspoon, both whom are married to (their) CAA agents. Seems all in the name of self preservation. Yes, the campaign has created a legal defense fund that has collected millions of dollars for those in need of legal assistance. That is a good thing, though a large chunk of the money came from the agencies themselves like CAA and WME, and their clients. For WME there was an initial donation and then a follow up donation, as a result of the Walhberg/Williams salary dispute. Not sure the fund is supposed to be a fund for donations in return for positive press (after questions of inequality), and I question how will these funds continue to be funded? Sure Hollywood is not endowing them. The very recent news of Ellen Pompeo finally earning the $20m paycheck she has been chasing for years, or Reese and Nicole now doubling their paychecks for season 2 of Big Little Lies, or Octavia Spencer negotiating 5x more than expected for her next project thanks to Jessica Chastain, is not what millions of women thought Hollywood meant, when they sent their, "Dear Sisters" a letter of Solidarity. Seems to me whatever Hollywood may be able to accomplish may only actually benefit their own . Again self preservation.
2
Maureen Dowd wrote an incredible column. Compelling compassionate and relevant.
Ms Thurman’s story highlights the reality that no matter their station in life women have been trashed.
5
This is a heartbreaking story. Uma Thurman seems to combine beauty and strength so wonderfully. But her fate was tied up with men of vile character. I don't know the ways of Hollywood, but all of the stories of Weinstein and others scream for a new order with people standing for mutual respect and above-board relationships. Acting itself calls for vulnerability, but the business surrounding acting needs a major overhaul of its ethics.
3
I still don’t get the car crash interpretation. Tarantino (thinking he is such a great director) didn’t comprehend how dangerous the car was. Are we really expected to believe that he wanted to kill his star who had brought him so much fortune?
1
Thank you, Uma, for sharing the truth about the mental and physical abuse that you endured. Your openness will help change the public discourse and lend hope to other survivors of abuse. Several years ago, I gave evidence in court against a powerful, famous man who was later convicted of multiple rapes and indecent assault of children. Identifying myself as one of his victims was very difficult for me, but the case led to two changes in the laws governing sex crime in my country. By getting involved in the case, I helped clear a better path for today's victims. By revealing your experiences, you are doing the same for victims of sex crime in your country and globally. Again, thank you for your courage, your dignity and your restraint.
2
I am a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies, but it is his job to PROTECT the people on his set. I am absolutely appalled by the treatment of Uma Thurman on display here.
1
Quentin Tarantino has an odd sensibility, but in his own way is a driven artistic genius. That doesn't give him license to abuse his actors (any more than the average genius). I found Reservoir Dogs nearly unwatchable due to the violence, but Pulp Fiction was a masterpiece in my opinion and in the opinion of many others. It resurrected John Travolta's career and made Samuel L Jackson's.
Perhaps, just like legislation, it's best not to know what goes into the making of the sausage. But that's not satisfactory, either.
I think we're going to have to separate movie making and pretty much every other realm into the eras of pre- and post- Me Too. Somehow we have to find a productive way to move forward without disposing of what's been good about our past. Knowing the dark side while seeing the products of genius should give us all pause to think.
We're not talking about mass killers or crimes against humanity, but rather human behaviors long swept under the rug or allowed to those at the top of the social or income scale. For every Harvey Weinstein there are many Al Franken's and Aziz Ansar's, just north of acceptable, at least by the recipients of their behavior. We have to find a new equilibrium that empowers without victimizing unnecessarily.
It's an unprecedented way to organize how the rich and powerful interact with those lower down the social scale. It's long overdue but essentially new territory. Too many men have failed, so women will probably have to lead the way.
1
last line, quote"I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.”
A child who conflates cruelty and love has probably been abused, either physically, emotionally, or both. Thurman can't rant and rave about Weinstein and Tarantino, but might look in the other direction too: back to her childhood, parents, caregivers, and teachers.
6
What a sad and terrible story. I'm sorry for Ms. Thurman but glad that she can talk about it and moved to put it behind her.
Women, especially beautiful and smart ones, are often marginalized and it doesn't matter what the business. It happens everywhere. To survive you often need to move to something else, stuff it down, laugh it off or accept what is being offered.
We do grow up with certain belief systems and it's easy to get them confused in different situations. Most of us want to believe that people are basically good and their friendship will support us.
Sadly, predatory or controlling men can take advantage of nature and what appears to be something good and turn it into something that can scar you for life.
Healing takes time. Women need to talk, so do men. Our common language needs to be clarified. We can be in this together if we try.
I have hope.
1
Ms. Thurman tells a powerful story and it is both tragic and maddening to think of the price she has paid to have a successful career.
It seems that women in the entertainment industry are nothing more than a consumable raw material to those in the business. There are so many lovely, ambitious young women who want to be models, actresses, singers, dancers and, in some cases, merely famous, that the entertainment machine just abuses them, uses them up and then goes out and gets more.
The entertainment "machine" consists of a panoply of producers, directors, financiers, studios, production companies, agents, lawyers, publicists and the like. They all make their livings off of the machine. So they have generally kept their mouths shut and kept collecting their checks. They are all culpable in what has happened to Ms. Thurman and others like her. The whole industry is complicit by its silence over decades. Let's hope that stories like those Ms. Thurman bravely told will help change this forever.
4
Just a note regarding the car crash: there was absolutely nothing wrong with the car, she crashed because she's not a skilled driver.
By looking at the video you can see that she lost control after grossly overcorrecting at every swerve.
I don't know how people are suggesting to charge Tarantino for that. Sure he shouldn't have persuaded in driving but you can't say that he is to blame for the poor condition of the car when the accident is clearly her fault.
1
Where are the rewards for the men who don't fit the mold that has been crafted for centuries? And for the women as well? Nice guys...., ....quiet desperation, fill in the blanks. Conformity and mediocrity topped off with a bright shiny object. The art of the cinema rarely explores those themes. Escape from reality is what art is mostly about these days. Pulling back the curtain to expose the sordid goings-on in Tinsel Town may be cathartic for the victims of abuse but can it lead to a groundswell that addresses the subjugation of the weak across the board? I don't see any blockbusters plotted on exploitation by the oligarchy. Torches, pitchforks, gated communities ablaze, violence galore, that would be right up Tarantino's alley. The possibilities are endless. Then perhaps life imitating art? Too close to the bone. Zombies will have to do or heroic~fill in appropriate identity stereotype~underdog makes good. Hollywood is like any other mega-industry: corrupt and incestuous. Circus all around, bread, not so much. Forgive the broad brush, space is limited. Solution? National strike to solve: minimum wage, health care, bloated defense budget, electoral college, education, renewable energy, housing, immigration, pollution, infrastructure, animal rights(CAFOs). Shut it down, burn it down, start over. Bye-bye 401-Ks. Bye-bye cushy, elite lifestyles. We are the majority and we can't have nice things. We have nothing to lose. How's that for a rant? Or a screenplay? We'll do lunch.
That video of the car crash is horrifying to watch. Uma Thurman could easily have died. It's astounding that Tarantino would coerce his star into such a dangerous shot. Ultimately, not so astounding, considering the way she was treated by Weinstein, his handlers, and her agents at CAA.
Good luck to Ms. Thurman. Glad that she is back on her own track.
2
It's impossible to read this story about Uma Thurman and the cruelty, abuse, and suffering she was forced to endure without being reminded of the powerful man who occupies the White House. A man who continues to deny wrongdoing in spite of all the many women who have come forward and accused him of it, depriving them of their dignity and ability to heal. Not only has this been accepted by the Congress, these victims have all but been ignored. So while Ms. Thurman at last has the freedom and the courage to tell her story, we are reminded that it is not so for many other women. But her story should make those who tolerate the abusers understand their complicity.
3
Tarantino’s movies are full of violence and hurt. I am not surprised that he recklessly imposed hurt and violence on a very talented and gifted artist as Ms. Thurman, just sad that he has won awards for it and sad that any artist has to succumb to such madness in their pursuit of the arts.
3
Where, exactly, is the Screen Actors Guild in all of this? Why aren't they standing up for their dues-paying union members? It seems as if SAG should have some role in combatting harassment and assault of their members. Has SAG taken any steps in this regard?
6
All these Hollywood types knew EXACTLY what they were doing. They we're all trying to advance their career.
1
Many decades ago, I learned in theatre that directors would be your closest companion until you produced whatever was in their head about your role in the production. While my training and experience were opening doors, I finally closed the doors for my own well-being. Life mattered to me more than success in this career; freedom in spirit and certainly freedom from all the young and old letches. Breaking away from the promises used to keep actors bound, was not an easy decision. But I had other options and I chose them. Uma’s story has more meaning than is comfortable. She fought back, as I did at the time. But she didn’t walk away completely, as I did, which left her vulnerable to events she didn’t see coming. How could she? She leaves me gasping. I know those scenarios she tried to escape; it’s a particular horror when somebody you trust actually coerces you into a harmful, life-endangering situation. I not only believe every word but will bet there’s more she couldn’t yet disclose. Good, but painful article, Maureen. Necessary, so thank you, Uma. Brave. This helps you, me, everyone ever caught in these traps, adjust our sails and head into new and freer circumstances. Real Life. After exposure, when the dust settles, we CHOOSE. WE choose. BTW, I became a therapist.
3
I'm in shock thinking that Uma Thurman went through all of that abuse and yet was able to give wonderful screen performances with her range of interesting characters in movies. She stood up to not only to WEINSTEIN, but also to TARANTINO, all by herself and lived to tell the story. Uma Thurman is something to behold in the gravity of courage and steel strength facing down evil with grace and dignity. I'm no fan of of the current generation of film directors that I'll call the "shock jock auteurs", started in large part by Tarantino. They need to show disturbing sadistic and graphic violence to tell their stories, for example Darren Aronofsky and Guillermo Del Torro, (the latter's film Shape of Water is the best film this year despite it's almost being marred by several scenes of gratuitous violence.) Anyhow, Thurman appeared in some of these films with images of outrageous brutality and she gave it her all for her art. In the case of Tarantino, I'm not sure she feels it was worth it? Especially since she specifically didn't want to do something and now she's suffering to this day physically, ugh!
3
Thanks, Ms. Thurman for the view into your life. And a giant Thank You for not hunting down and removing the contract from one of your films that is floating around the web. I learned more from those few pages than from reading 20 books about film.
Am I the only one suspicious of those two men you mentioned? Net rumor is that they are both involved in worse things than you stated. From your description of what happened, I could conclude that they were trying to kill you because of your previous bad experience with the fat one.
It would be interesting to know if you or the film had any unusual insurance policies attached. It does not make sense that they would treat you that way if they had a long term relationship in mind. Faulty hardware is unthinkable in a movie production where money is at stake, investors must be protected and bonding companies make sure that everything works smoothly. Also I blame your agent, manager and bodyguards for allowing it to happen.
Predators like those two are brave when they prey upon people that cannot fight back. Some of us fight back. I wish I could have been there to help you. Things would have been different.
Best regards,
Michael
4
Interesting that there didn't seem to be any medical personnel on hand - looks like a key grip-type was 1st on the crash scene, and didn't see any medical types in the whole clip. They shouldn't have had her get herself up, shouldn't have given her water (if she was concussed and threw up that would make matters worse), and shouldn't have carried her away like that without stabilization. If she'd had a critical injury like a broken neck the outcome could have been far worse than it was, and it sounds like Uma still has lingering effects.
The movement to expose behavior of the 'me too' perpetrators isn't just about women - it's about everyone. If women are treated with such recklessness and as 'consumables' to be used and discarded like inanimate objects - then it's highly likely that everyone in the orbit of those men (and some women) who treat women like that are being put-upon or abused in some way. This isn't just about sexual assault as Uma was trying to point out - it was about treatment of women - and anyone - as disposable objects without consequences, and with the support of powerful people and groups who choose to support or stay silent when they know what they're witnessing is inappropriate (or criminal) - regardless of where on the 'spectrum' that behavior sits.
2
I'm glad Ms. Thurman was able to persevere and have a very successful career, despite being sexually assaulted and injured.
As for those who were sexually assaulted and injured but didn't get the successful career - they mostly suffer in silence, unless they can afford therapy.
I can only pray that those select women who are sought after by the media, will be able to help change the world for future generations by their revelations and long overdue accusations.
It's easy to dismiss the reminiscences of pampered wealthy performers, but sadly, tragically, the public doesn't hear much about the waitress or factory worker who's been sexually abused or raped. Somebody has to speak out, and in our society, the women with the microphone are usually rich and famous; better this, than nothing at all.
2
Thank God Uma Thurman Survived! This car crash is horrible to watch and you can clearly see she is very much injured. To read what horror Ms. Thurman has lived through with these monsters is so awful. I have always admired her and truly think she is so Brave! When I saw that movie, she was the only character that had any real humanity about her. Her powerful acting gave me a LOT of strength to stand up to someone in my life at that time who was abusing me. I began to take back my life after seeing her pound her way out of that grave and coffin. It was truly cathartic for me. I realized that even I too feel so trapped and so deadened by my hopeless situation--I cast off all feelings of regret and any feelings of guilt and I pushed myself up out and away-- one punch at a time--from a man who was terrorizing me---and I DON'T CARE if HE is reading this!--- I don't like QTarantino or any of his movies; I think he is a sick delusional man who thinks he is a god and can do anything.
My Heart goes out to Ms. Uma Thurman!!! She should be supported and applauded as a Champion for standing up for herself. She is a Hero!
I hope many women will support her and see that they too can stand up to these monsters like Weinstein and others. Uma Thurman should NOT have had to drive that car. The clip shows the lawlessness and that she had No-one looking out for her.
Uma Thurman is a Bright Powerful Brave Light! May she glow brightly! You Go Girl! Brave On Uma!
1
To read how Uma Thurman was treated by Weinstein and Tarantino just sickens me. And it's frightening. She resisted. She objected. She was clear. She was articulate. And she was still forced against her will by men and then humiliated and threatened by them because she resisted. These men stain and soil Hollywood so severely that I don't want to ever see a movie made in Hollywood again.
All actresses should have personal lawyers who follow them everywhere-- as part of the contract. The lawyer comes into Weinstein's bedroom. The lawyer steps in front of the Carmen Gia and confronts Tarantino. That's what it's come down to. Hollywood has to be treated as a dangerous, disgusting and adversarial environment for women.
1
Thank you Ms. Thurman for sharing your story.
1
This whole account is truly terrifying, and Thurman will exact the justice from Weinstein and Tarantino that they deserve. Tarantino knows his days are numbered as well, if he willingly gave up this footage. Their terrible troika has come to a grinding halt for good reason.
2
he is a horrible human being for sure. I am not sure of the difference between a producer and a director sad to say. She has been in a lot of edgy movies . I dont know what it means but I have to admit i always assumed this stuff was going on back to the days of marylin monroe.
What a sad story. It’s time to consider if the movie business has any redeeming social value at all. The men are, apparently, predators and the the whole sordid business is a source of astonishing levels of violence masquerading as entertainment. I’m done with this nonsense.
1
There is something nobody's talking about after the Weinstein scandal and others like it. Men who objectify, hate, and abuse women have been the ones making movies. Those movies define our culture and are watched by young girls. Purging Hollywood of men who objectify and mistreat women will do even more to benefit our culture than it will do to benefit the actresses in the film industry.
I'm a woman who doesn't watch Hollywood movies because I don't want to see the world they create where women cease to exist, mostly, after age 35; where even female neurosurgeons (a discipline that takes 10 years of training after medical school) are portrayed as 24-year-olds. Where ugly women just do not exist unless they're villains, usually. Where most movies don't pass the Bechdel test of "are two women having a conversation with each other, in the movie, anywhere, and the conversation is not about a man?" Where it's very rare to see a woman just doing anything -- leading a team, producing something creative, or even saving the world -- without some part of the dialogue commenting on the fact that, wow, she's doing it as a woman.
Part of the problem has been that those making and paying for movies, and choosing scripts also objectify and disdain women. They are not people who recognize women as having a valuable lifespan. They are people who mostly recognize women as sexy creatures until age 35, then uninteresting. Creatures to be used. Creatures they don't care about as humans.
2
The irony and terribly obvious reveal here is that Ms. Thurman epitomized female empowerment from the outside looking in. Hollywood, what a fairy tale. And Mr. Tarantino? His movies have always been sadistic, whether he wrote them or directed. The sadism can't be too far removed from the pen which bore the fruit. Wouldn't be surprising if this was the top of the iceberg for him..
2
To me Tarantino's movies were sneering in a way, saying look how clever and nasty I can be. Never cared for them. Care for them even less now.
3
We knew Weinstein was a monster. I didn't know Tarantino was too. It's hard to believe how women in Hollywood even survive, but believe it or not, this happens in every type of work I've ever worked in. It's not even the fact that women are considered "less than" than man. It's the dehumanization. This is where objectification leads, even the daily "harmless" type, (in men's minds) and it's no small thing. Dehumanization was the basis of slavery, and it kills people.
1
Currently, a director can very legitimately ask an actor to revisit her most traumatic memories, to "get her into the role." It's nothing for a director to ask an actor to think of a personal tragedy, or the loss of a favorite pet, so that she can embody pain. To think of things that make her feel sexy. This is acknowledged in our culture. Actors talk about it in interviews.
But from there we enter into a very unsavory relationship. Directors use actors, and actors use directors, but they must know where to draw the line. I believe this type of direction opens the door to abuse.
Playing with an actor's emotions and psyche should be as outmoded as gay conversion therapy. An actor can act sad without feeling sad. Angry without anger. This kinky messiness, of digging into personal secrets and playing with them can turn a set into an encounter group. An actor often willingly exposes themselves in a way that shouldn't happen outside a psychiatrist's office, to an insecure and anxious director.
Unfortunately it takes a person who is secure in themselves, to avoid abusing others, or to avoid being abused, particularly in artistic collaborations, where there is typically so much insecurity.
Theatre is such a wonderful thing, and the lasting and intimate friendships that come from a wholesome and generous artistic collaboration are so far more valuable than whatever momentary confidence and masking of reality takes place during abuse.
1
Buying time? Or staging things so that she is the center of attention when she finally speaks? I think it’s the latter.
Time was up a long time ago. Thurman is complicit by her inaction.
1
As a fight choreographer and stunt person, the latter details of this story are disgusting, saddening, and all too real. I've worked with young directors and heard them speak of Mr. Tarantino in awed terms, that "he wanted choking to look real so he convinced the performers to actually choke each other with an EMT on hand." I try to educate them that my (and their) first priority is to protect my actors (and stunt-people). The story, the look, everything else HAS to come second to that. No exceptions. Directors who lose sight of that are not "visionary" or "committed" or "perfectionist," they're borderline sociopathic and their films should be excoriated for taking unnecessary, stupid risks, not praised. I continue to hope that film and theater educational programs will place more emphasis on educating directors on what is achievable without endangering their collaborators and performers on how to stand up to directors who don't. SAG-AFTRA is a good start, but too often it's not followed (and student-directors cut their teeth making non-union films to build out their demo reels... and they don't necessarily follow or even know union protocols).
7
I am sickened by this story.
Weinstein's brutality has gone well beyond my ability to understand. Yet each day, it seems I learn of a new victim. If this man evades prison, it is a pox on humanity.
Weinstein's behavior doesn't make Mr. Tarantino's behavior any less repulsive. Tarantino's directives to Ms. Thurman is beyond reckless and reeks of criminal intent.
None of us should knowingly watch a movie Weinstein or Tarantino are associated with again. This is our only recourse. Rebuke them at every opportunity. Boycott their movies. Never miss a chance to speak ill of them.
Public shame and capitalism are apparently the only tools available to stop such men.
3
Thank you for sharing this, Uma. I’ll never be able to look at Tarantino and the Kill Bill movies the same way again. What happened to you is so wrong. I’m glad you’re speaking out.
2
I've always hated the very essence of Tarantino. I hate his 'aesthetic' and his movies and I find him repugnant. I could never understand those people who thought his work to be of any worth at all. This harrowing tale confirms what a complete creep I've always suspected Tarantino to be. It shows in his ugly, nasty movies.
2
Thank you, Uma, reincarnated Buddha goddess or not. The world needs some enlightened anger. The first time I saw Uma was Dangerous Liaisons, with the much older Malkovich character assaulting her, an innocent naive teen. And then years later the under-appreciated Linklater film about the impact of a date-rape. No surprise about Tarantino's twisted ultraviolence and manipulation, but I've never been a fan. The question now is, given the message of Uma and all the others who, too, have experienced assaults and harassment are communicating, will we males of the species grow up and be real gentle-men. Or will we continue to be led around by our (ahem) baser instincts.
1
I am nauseous on so many levels here. Starting with Weinstein's assertion that up until the Paris steam room, they had had “a flirtatious and fun working relationship.” Did the man ever look into a mirror?
Yet it's Tarantino's stand-in for the spit and coughing scenes that gets to me. He apparently had a lot of thinly-veiled aggression for her after the car crash.
No wonder she was/is so angry. We all feel her anger and must teach our girls, young women and adult females that there is a new would order - starting now - and men ought to adjust their behavior accordingly.
2
Quentin Tarantino makes misogynistic movies.
Harvey Weinstein made misogynistic movies.
Really, actresses deserve better opportunities than the characters in these movies, which for some reason are so acclaimed. They are just adolescent bot fantasies. The worst is Reservoir Dogs which has no actual women in it at all -- but does have some unbelievably hostile-to-women dialogue. Why did these actresses even work with these awful people?
1
I am saddened by Uma Thurman’s pain and heartened by her courage in sharing what happened as it gives courage to the next person to seek support and justice.
Think the American public needs more education about malignant narcissists and their manipulative damaging behavior. The may seem at first glance like a “kooky uncle”,or sometimes aunt, but look deeper and they are really malicious, cunning, incapable of empathy or apology and cause trauma to innumerable others as witnessed by Weinstein’s and the physician Nasser’s behavior. They use a multitude of the same techniques : ingratiating themselves at first with their victims through flattery, also called hoovering, while at the same time assessing their victim’s vulnerabilities and turning on them through threats and gas lighting, making a victim question their own memories. These manipulators are sly and intelligent and the more everyone understands how they operate the less likely they can get away with it. Let’s hope Weinstein does go to jail and our justice system continues to serve justice when their behaviors are criminal.
The women that remained silent all these years knew exactly what they were doing. They put their careers before their dignity. They remind me of prostitutes that have no issue with trading sex for drugs but when they become "clean" and start to reflect on their life and behavior often harbor animosity towards their "johns" because it absolves them of any responsibility for their part in the dysfunctional and harmful behavior.
1
This brings clarity to why Quentin was one of the first to respond when the Harvey Weinstein story broke. I look forward to his response now.
What a nightmare!! Uma is such a class act. Hollywood titans are unraveling by the day. I hope sharing of her encounters helps her to heal.
“Personally, it has taken me 47 years to stop calling people who are mean to you ‘in love’ with you. It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.”
That's a tough sentence to read. Haunting. And Quentin Tarantino sounds unhinged...a user and a loser. How can I watch another one of his films?
No wonder she's angry. This is about more than Weinstein's sexual aggression; this is about powerful men abasing and punishing a prominent and successful woman. I hope that telling her story has given her back her power.
There is so much that is heartbreaking, disturbing and utterly wrong about Uma Thurman's story, I don't even know where to start. That Harvey W is an utter pig is only reinforced. But having a view into Tarantino's objectification of her to the point of revealing a sadist fetishness is sickening. Tarantino's movies stopped working for me long ago as they reveal this spirit too easily and I can't enjoy his sadistic lens on life. There has to be further reckoning against the multiple levels of misogyny Thurman has lived.
There's a terrific song out right now by Brandi Carlile called "The Joke."
Ms Thurman's story - and others like it - put me in mind of a couple of lines:
You gotta dance with the devil on a river to beat the stream
Calling it living the dream
Call it kicking the ladder
Her story was long awaited by many, certainly after that Instagram post on her account.
I think what impressed me the most was the 'induced' car accident. By now we have heard dozens of stories about how Weinstein operated, but wow, what he did to her was a new unexpected level of evil.
Not only a rapist, abuser and sexual predator, but so vengeful to physically hurt actresses.
'In the name of art' doesn't include dying for it.
Brave Uma, thank you for sharing your story and hopefully it will also be used to legally incriminate that monster.
P.S. Tarantino always creeped me out, now I know why.
I just wonder if the specific agents for these actresses will be outed? They seem to have known what they were sending these actresses into, then they make money if the actress gets the role. It's horrible form of pimping, and an even more horrible betrayal. I hope they are outed too, with the specific names involved.
I can't help but think how much I like the little of Tarantino movies that I've seen. There's something about them that shows the insidious worst of America, and the fact that they are popular has always disturbed me. Whenever I've seen him interviewed he's come across as a narcissistic creep.
We feed this system of fetishes.
Do you believe that you must make your own decisions? Do you believe that you are responsible for making your own decisions? People know the consequences. They refuse to hold themselves responsible and accountable. The stories are out there, yet they rise to the occasion to put themselves in harm's way. Money and reputation can be a powerful factor in controlling decisions. Ignorance and stupidity is not viable excuses. When you ignore you will fall to the floor. As quoted from the Bible: Rise up, ye women that are at ease...
This makes me so sad. I had believed Uma didn't have to face this kind of stuff. The same for Selma Hayek. This is really is scary for me at its core. These are strong serious women, not floozies (I now that's a bad way to put it).
Speaking as someone who has been abused degraded and dehumanized i can understand uma Thurman's anger here. We live in a world where the empowered feel its OK to step on those less empowered or vulnerable as long as they get what they want. I hope the times up movement reaches beyond the confines of Hollywood to bring real change.
161
Thank you for your courage in speaking out, Ms. Thurman. I'm a fan of your work, and it breaks my heart to know you had to undergo this kind of treatment. Blech. Stay strong, and know that your fans love you.
26
After reading this article, I feel really bad for Uma Thurman, but I also regret that I enjoyed watching Tarantino's movies in the past. And I do not think I will be able to watch one of his movies ever again.
45
Does Uma now have any regrets for contributing to the allure of gratuitous violence? I have no difficulty with violence portrayed realistically, as part of a larger narrative, but these movies of stylized and glorified violence make me sick. I think people like Tarantino have much to answer for in the coarsening of our culture, and Ms. Thurman has played her part in it.
53
“Personally, it has taken me 47 years to stop calling people who are mean to you ‘in love’ with you. It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.”
How true this is of many baby boomer women. When I was a kid my brother hit me a lot, and my parents' response always was "What did you do to make him made?" He was never punished...
Thank goodness for the feminist movement which flowered when I was in college!
37
Isn't it a duty to pursue your talents, do your best at your job, strive for excellence, go beyond the ordinary? It's a wonderful - and vulnerable - part of life.
As Ms. Thurman compellingly describes it, two men with rarefied power over an industry and countless careers used their power to pervert this basic human need. By forcibly imposing a toll of submission and humiliation on those who sought success, they said, "You can get there but the price is your dignity, your power, and your pride of accomplishment." Aspirants not only had to submit in the moment, they had to become complicit over time by hiding the abuse. (Sounds familiar, as I've experienced a small share of such abuse.) If the window of demand for physical submission had limits, the potential demands for complicity had none.
This is not a simply selfish behavior. By perverting a fundamental human need - standing between the individual and her/his purpose in life - it is deeply, horribly evil.
Praise for the courage and tenacity of Ms. Thurman and the whole MeToo movement! It bodes well for human society.
Cool, also, that Ms. Thurman fought and prevailed to get that telling car footage. What a great counterbalance to her director's shameful behavior!
Ms. Thurman, thank you, for all of us. And I hope you personally achieve complete relief in your fiercely claimed dignity!
34
Whoa. That car was clearly not working right. The steering wheel obviously loose. And Quentin just didn't look concerned at all. More guilty or ashamed than concerned for the life of his friend.
22
Each time I read horrific stories like this one, it sends me into a stage of rage. Man who use a position of power and authority to assault women are the scan of the earth.
16
The video of her car crash is truly harrowing and painful to watch. An aspect of film mogul reckless bad behavior that hasn't been on display since the horrific twilight zone helicopter scene - which you would think would have ended this kind of thing 30 years ago. At least she still has a head.
8
I was struck today when reading the responses to Uma’s portrayal of her experiences with Harvey Weinstein and Quentin Tarantino. I was frankly disgusted by the defensive and reflexively dismissive victim-blaming remarks by other men. Rather than taking issue with the men who commit such acts, most other guys seemed intent on blaming Uma for having the temerity to become an accomplished actor, arguing that, by doing so, she knowingly and necessarily exposed herself to the abusive and predatory conduct that she describes. My question for such men is: Don’t any of you have mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, nieces, etc? So how would you react if one of them reported to you that their bosses had done to them what Weinstein and Tarantino evidently did to Thurman? I’m guessing you’d be tempted to grab the biggest baseball bat that you can find and pay that boss a visit, right? I would. Quentin Tarantino’s thuggish behavior reminds me of someone who’s watched too many Godfather movies. He evidently believes that HE IS one of the underworld thugs that he depicts in movies. By forcing Thurman to shoot the car scene, Tarantino seemed intent on silencing an actor whom his boss/pal Weinstein had reason to hate and fear – a woman whom he reportedly raped after she refused his predatory sexual advances. Violence against women will never end until we men stop excusing and start reacting to each other’s behavior the same way we would if we knew and loved the victims.
34
.
never liked tarantino - always thought he was an overrated annoyance, and his films trite and derivative.
obviously, he's worse that that...
40
I think Tarantino makes great art. But here's the thing - he did not have to debase Thurman (or anyone else), yet he chose to. Ponder that for just a moment. Another message we need to send to our "geniuses", particularly our male ones, is that their genius does not justify treating other people like garbage in order to produce your art or science. You don't have to, so choose not to. And if you choose to do so, we will choose the next "genius", because there are others out there.
20
Despite so many liberals, SJWs, "activists" etc. adoring and worshiping Hollywood, from Woody Allen to Harvey Weinstein and their oh-so-humanistic or even "progressive" production - with help of all those starlets and doyenne Streep - poured on us whole year, every year, increasing numbers of Americans (and people around the world) don't buy what is being imposed on them by that "vanguard."
Too often absolutely horrible sexual and power abuse taking place in and around movie industry (and other, too often liberal media alike) at last shows what many knew was the case: Huge hypocrisy of supposed champions of the Good, off camera habitually showing their true colors.
Now, when the genie is out, the same who promoted Hollywood's false high moral ground preaching to the rest of us trying to make "lemons into lemonade." Somehow twist it into a swipe at President Trump, at GOP and conservatives in general.
14
Really? You are using a woman’s feelings of betrayal to argue for Trump, an admitted woman abuser? Please.
Conservatives don’t engage in such bad behavior? You’re joking, right?
That video is chilling. She could have been killed. I've never been a fangirl for Tarantino, but his disregard for her safety in creating that scene was appalling. Then for Miramax/Weinstein to keep the video from being used as evidence for a lawsuit was more than a cheap shot, and Tarantino falling into rank...what a bunch of creeps.
Stay strong, Uma.
28
I don’t understand this lack of moral self awareness. All these actresses who are willing, in exchange for fame and money, to participate in depictions of women that are degrading and violent, the imagery that has made the fabric of American culture and affects millions of real women who are not famous or rich. Yet, when that violence and degradation touched them personally- the actresses-then it is all wrong and abusive. This is not about women and fairness, it’s abour selfish self interest.
32
Wow, as the mother of two girls her last line hits home for me. We need to stop rationalizing and making excuses for awful behavior. Thank you Uma for your strength. The victims are not to blame!
13
Horrific. Infuriating. How dare they? And we've yet to hear from others.
4
"'Harvey assaulted me but that didn’t kill me,' she says. 'What really got me about the crash was that it was a cheap shot.'"
It was not a cheap shot. It was an attempt to kill. The teamster who told Ms. Thurman that the car "might not be working that well," is the only one with any honor in the cast of characters Ms. Thurman had to deal with.
It is too bad no charges were brought against Tarantino and Weinstein for attempting to kill a human being.
Ms. Thurman's experiences, let's hope, will be a lesson to other actresses to stay far away from despicable characters and not risk their personal honor for fame and fortune.
21
But neither you nor Uma has explained why Quentin Tarantino would have *tried* to kill her. What's the motivation? That she'd made difficult Tarantino's relationship with Weinstein and he wanted her out of the way? Or that Weinstein had enlisted Tarantino's help as hitman to get rid of one of the dozens of women Weinstein had abused, maybe by threatening to stop distributing Tarantino's films unless he did his evil bidding ... bwaa-ha-ha [rubs hands together gleefully]. And he made this attempt on her life in front of all these people with the knowledge that the Teamster knew the car was a death trap and would testify against him?
Are you serious? Is this really what you're trying to say? I think you may have watched one or two movies too many.
There IS no therapy for Rapists. In a just world, there is only Prison and ostracizing, for life. This "sex addiction " is an excuse, almost exclusively for Rich, white Males. Ms. Thurman, I sincerely thank you, MUCH Respect.
Rapists and Molesters: Stop. Stop Now. WE are coming for YOU. I would die to protect MY Granddaughters. Just saying.
10
I saw "Pulp Fiction" and to this day I will never understand all of the hoopla over it. My reaction was "good cast" and the rest was meh. On the Weinstein subject last week I heard an interview with Nathan Lane on NPR. He talked about appearing at some Weinstein gala and that he was supposed to do a comic monologue. He went over what he was going to say with Weinstein and apparently Weinstein did not like some of the jokes in it. He demanded that Nathan Lane change his monologue and he threatened Nathan Lane if he didn't change what he was going to say. Nathan said he responded "I'm not changing anything and you can threaten me all you want because I don't have a film career you can ruin." Weinstein had no response. Good for Nathan Lane!!!
33
Ms. Thurman, thank you for sharing your personal account with the public. Other women will indeed learn something from your story. Whether men will learn is hard to tell, but this is a good start.
35
"Other women will indeed learn something from your story. Whether men will learn is hard to tell"
I can tell you that the vast majority of men don't assault women. Most men are sickened by the behaviour of the tiny minority who think sexual assault is acceptable. It's sad that this even needs to be said. Maybe the fallout from all this will be that women can rely on the decent men out there when they blow the whistle on the creeps.
10
In a business where there are 200 people seeking one opening, and 20 of those 200 are highly talented, it is a difficult stew to survive in. Additionally, it is not like other businesses where the woman has not a great deep need to be an accountant or sales manager. This is 200 people for whom being able to act is deep in their soul competing for one slot that will allow them to live what they know they must be. It cannot be compared to other work or industries. It creates those who want to take advantage and those who don't want to jeopardize that one in a thousand chance to live their dream.
29
Brave story. It's a sad fact that for many of us it takes years to sort out what has really happened to us. But every time one of us does, the rest of us are encouraged. Thank you Uma.
77
"Hit 40 or your hair won't blow right and I'll make you do it again." I've never seen a Tarantino movie--I can't stand gratuitous violence, especially when people say how 'hilarious' it is-- but I've seen him interviewed, and I'm not surprised by a single thing written here.
167
I was a huge fan of most of his earlier films and sadly I took the violence as over the top and almost as if it were done in a comic book style. After reading this intense article I will no longer watch his films and wont' see any of his in the future. He blew all credibility with me.
2
I am disturbed by so many of these comments (most from men) implying or saying outright that because Uma got paid and gained celebrity and wealth she somehow deserved it or is complicit in furthering this behavior by not speaking out. Trauma is complex and the fear of violence against you and your family is real. No matter who you are, what class you are in, we need to listen to all women who speak out about sexual violence. She is incredibly brave for speaking out.
183
Well, sometimes you have to take risks, work through your pain and trauma, and do the right thing. Thurman did not. There are many, many women who do so all the time; there are even many more men who do.
1
The same thing is said about athletes.
But....it’s true. The first time she went to Weinstein’s hotel room should have been the last. No fame, fortune, acting career is worth losing your self respect and dignity. She had a choice, she chose money and fame. So to hear Thurman (and other multimillionaire actresses) whine now is ridiculous. Once again she had a choice: she chose fame over self respect.
3
Uma Thurman was very smart to keep fighting to get the footage. Quentin is done, if this is a just universe. But I am disturbed by the assumption that a stunt driver would have been the solution. The car was obviously unfit for that particular road, which looks gutted. There is an implicit assumption that the whole thing would have been )K if a stunt driver was put in the unsafe car. No. The car should have been fixed.
70
A professional stunt driver would have had a better chance of controlling the car than an ordinary untrained person, like an actress. It is like a test pilot has a better chance than a brand new pilot who's just done his solo.
However, the car sounds unreasonably dangerous, even for a stunt driver. Why risk it without even bolting down the seat?
34
It's possible that the car would have been fixed -- if Ms. Thurman had refused and Tarantino had no choice but to use a stunt driver.
1
The "artist" creates art. The art is something detached, singular and alone. the artist, him or herself, is simply a provider and the two sets are vastly separate entities and must be appreciated that way. Picasso? Tarantino? Are you saying "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" I and II,,or the many Picasso canvasses extant, are now different "art" because of the person Tarantino or Picasso? I submit No! The art exists alone as it's own entity. Tarantino and Picasso provided us with something many folks call art. That feeling should be sacrosanct. Your understanding of the person Picasso or Tarantino is immaterial to the appreciation of the "art". This is simply my opinion.
5
DIsagree. The art is not detached. It comes from a deep well, often subconscious, of emotions, experiences and imaginings of the artist. You cannot separate the two. Artists are human, they are not gods or sacrosanct. I think our culture, in thrall of fame, puts far too many on a pedestal. In fact, my sense is the less creative and artistic one is, the more they eagerly fall into this kind of ecstatic, adulatory thinking.
30
Disagree. My enjoyment of any kind of art is not enhanced or lessened by the personality or actions of the artist. If it is you're engaging either in hero worship or its negative twin, hero destruction.
I wish you could explain to us the biological basis of what you are saying. Where is this artistic genius located in human physiology and how is it completely divorced from the rest of the person? All our knowledge of human beings does not support the idea that creativity is totally separate from the person as a moral agent. Are you referring to a kind of possession by a creative spirit from the invisible world?
“Mr. Weinstein acknowledges making a pass at Ms. Thurman in England after misreading her signals in Paris,” the statement said. “He immediately apologized.”
This is a non-apology apology. Like Larry Nassar and Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein has spent a lifetime wreaking havoc in the world without feeling any guilt.
"I am one of the reasons that a young girl would walk into his room alone, the way I did."
The irony is that, while Nassar and Weinstein accept no true responsibility for what they did, their victims (and victims' loved ones) are torn up by their memories and, sometimes, by guilt over not having done more to stop the abuse.
I hope that Ms. Thurman finds peace. And I hope that Weinstein, Nassar, and Trump come to realize -in some way or other- what forces for evil they've been.
88
Really? "Trump?" Make that Bill Clinton. Let's be truthful, shall we?
I hope that any insurers of Tarentino's future films take close look at this article. That footage documents something tantamount to manslaughter, considering his role in it.
He should never work again in ANY town.
97
Reading Uma Thurman's account of the car crash, and watching the footage, brings to mind Bernardo Bertolucci and Marlon Brando's treatment of Maria Schneider in Last Tango in Paris. Substitute those names with Tarantino and Miramax and you get a sense of their idea of an actress's worth.
1
Not only is Uma Thurman a wonderful, luminous actress, she has an enormous strength of character as well. As horrifying as it was to read her story, one can only imagine what it must have been like to live it.
She has inspired me to go beyond my pain and not just survive but thrive. I'm so grateful she shared this with us.
53
I wonder how Mr. Weinstein thinks *anyone* would believe much of what he says, especially when said ‘through a representative.’ To me, a non-Hollywood guy and not much of a movie lover, he has no credibility. Zilch. Zip. Nada. None. Especially when defending himself.
18
Beau Willimon did not 'create' House of Cards, the idea was taken by a far superior British series of the same name.
36
Based on series of books. Imagine that. Michael Dobbs can.
3
The British series was boring and almost unwatchable.
Got that right! Sir Ian Richardson can pass mustard in my house anytime!
3
Ms. Thurman's point in the last paragraph, about little girls being conditioned to link love and cruelty...this still happens, every day. Little girls are teased by boys, and the teacher or the parents or the grandparents prattle that old lie, "That just means he likes you!". Teaching generations of girls that boys are mean to them when they like them.
This piece was painful to read. I hope never to see another film by Quentin Tarantino. I hope she is able to sue for that crash--negligence on its face, and sabotage and cruelty inside.
59
This is a sad story, and happened to a very lovely person.
But God I wish Dowd also wrote about how children get raped in homeless shelters. And how their single mother's can't get jobs because their gums are bright red, and nobody will treat them, and now they can't even turn tricks.
Is it impossible to express sympathy for those who are oppressed in all strata, and to document their lives?
I don't believe for a moment that by calling out the most sadistic offenders in Hollywood, it will affect anyone much outside that industry, and perhaps a handful of others which are populated by people so rich and famous, that exposure of assault and cruelty, will make a good story.
51
Well, it seems to have been having quite an effect outside the industry—this paper reported just a month or two ago on similar abuse at a Ford Motor plant, affecting women who are not at all rich or famous. There have been multiple reports coming out of the world of journalism and publishing, and in just the last couple of weeks I've seen other reports on the widespread sexual abuse of domestic workers in both private homes and hotels and among contract workers of all kinds. Meanwhile, similar movements are occurring all over the world. And from the beginning, actresses were pointing out that they are not the only victims and those who are famous were pointing out that most women do not have their resources and are therefore even more vulnerable. So actually there has been great expression of sympathy for those who are oppressed outside of Hollywood (as well as those in Hollywood who are not rich and famous), and a concerted effort to document their experience.
And there's also lots of reporting on the horrors you mention in your second paragraph—that's how you know about it.
After reading Scott's piece on Woody Allen and then this, I sense that it's not just the issue of sexual harassment and worse that's at issue here, but the whole mountain of garbage with one or two flowers on top called American popular culture that has reached critical mass. It's now starting a total meltdown. This has been a long time in the making, but I fear its arrival, however contemptible that culture is. Along the way, we have trashed all of the traditional resources for handling social and cultural crises like this.
22
I am in no way blaming the victim here but women (especially young women) must be shocked out of their naivete and never consent to meet a man alone in his hotel room (and certainly, after being assaulted once in this way should not return to the scene.)
When young I went to a room with a decidedly unsavory character and was "played with"--kept locked inside with my purse hidden, threatened with a knife and verbally harassed.
I got out and away but remember walking the streets of Manhattan afterward, awash with shame, humiliation and guilt for allowing this to happen when I should have known better. I called him a "jerk" in my own mind and took responsibility for all the rest.
This is a common reaction when victimized, perhaps giving one a sense of control over a situation in which one was powerless.
Word to young women: don't be unduly affected by flattery, compliments, fawning or specious promises. Do not consent to going to a hotel room with
any man for "business reasons" and face the hard truth: there are bad men out there whose depravity is hard for a normal woman to fathom until she walks through that door and becomes a changed person.
68
Have you listened to Rose McGowan’s explanation of what actresses are referring to as hotel suites? These hotel suites are actually like an apartment... hug with multiple rooms. Often they take up the whole floor and it is where these people conduct business. People really didn’t have a choice. It’s the industry norm.
Well, they say you can't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to this new story and all of the others preceding it, it seems fair to judge Tarantino and Weinstein, two unattractive, physically unappealing men who, over time, showed a consistent level of odious and manipulative behavior towards women in general, and especially attractive women seeking work who then deny them their juvenile and twisted sexuality.
The part about "Death Proof," starring Thurman's stunt double and Rose McGowan, is truly creepy and I'm glad Thurman was able to secure the footage with the car.
Everyone knows Hollywood is not "real" but it also doesn't exist in a vacuum. Who knew how deeply twisted and enabled the sex/power paradigm has been enabled and bureaucratized over the decades.
Weinstein needs to face charges and go to jail soon. And Tarantino should be boycotted.
If, after all this, Weinstein walks away after spending just a few months in the warm, dry Arizona climate over a very cold winter, only to go on to co-write his memoir and go on an apology tour, it would be hard to look any woman in the face and tell her she's safe either in her home or at work.
34
I have always loved the movie Kill Bill I thought Uma was exceptional in it! Now after I read this article all I can see in my mind is her face when she's being strangled ,and how insanely disgusting Quentin Tarantino must be. he went from being one of my favorite directors to somebody I can't even stomach. it really shows how Hollywood the music industry have been a beautiful lie, I applaud Miss Thurman for her heart-wrenching and honest story.
45
This breaks my heart and enrages me. The Kill Bill incident alone is beyond belief. It makes me angry at the professional unions involved in movies like this, even violent movies. In particular, where was SAG-AFTRA to protect Uma? Did the union say it's OK for her to be employed for extremely dangerous stunt work, when she herself did not want to do it? Why didn't even her agent or other reps look out for her? It says to me that Uma was surrounded by a virtual but complete wall of abuse, bullying, humiliation, and danger. Not just on the sets. You're a survivor, Uma, and you must be made of steel by now.
49
So sorry you went through these very terrible experience Ms. Thurman.
Thank You for standing up and using your powerful voice now.
11
My first question, for the writer: when you have such a powerful and particular first-person voice, why undercut it with a heavy-handed intro, summarizing Ms. Thurman’s experiences with the lyrical equivalent of a sledgehammer? Was it so critical to include ‘rape ’and ‘sexual assault’ you had to speak for her?
I predict polarizing backlash; general burnout and anti-elite. ‘And How could she possibly feel empowered yet keep putting herself in the room with him alone’? There will be comments about privileged women, and connecting money/career advancement with silence.
It’s almost an impossible choice. Is it a coincidence that Uma Thurman inhabited most of the few fierce and indomitable female roles Quentin Tarantino ever wrote? That’s how she arrived at the door where she had to choose. Too often, for women, the empowered choice (of course I can handle this!) isn’t the safe one—not in a world where power-fed men call too many shots, and culling actresses from the herd is just another sport.
9
“Personally, it has taken me 47 years to stop calling people who are mean to you ‘in love’ with you. It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.”
This is Robert Thurman's daughter speaking? There's a story there.
51
Yes, well that also goes with his thinking she is a reincarnated goddess. Worship is not far from objectification and even domination.
1
Yet another reminder that women need to be educated at a young age about respecting their assessments of threatening situations, rather than rationalizing away all kinds of abusive behavior. Of course the men here are the aggressive abusers, physical or psychological, but it haunts one to think how susceptible women make themselves to such men. There's also something disturbingly American about the sanctity of a successful career, to which much too much is sacrificed.
16
"Stretching out her lanky frame on a brown velvet couch in front of the fire..." This is an article in which a woman, is talking about sexual assault. Why is it important that we, the readers, picture her stretched out on a couch while she does it? If the sexual assault had happened to a man, would you have made sure the readers knew their body position while they told their story?
146
The author is a woman and known feminist. Perhaps the words were simply descriptive, and not drenched in sexism.
1
It speaks volumes that Ms Thurman can speak about “the power of ‘Pulp’” with a straight face and not be called on her immense self-regard. It’s just a movie, folks. No wonder these people think they can get away with anything.
19
You are so right about Ms. Thurman's "immense self-regard". Accomplished women should never be seen to be anything but humble about their professional work. Though it's okay for men to plainly state that their work has importance. But not a woman.
1
It was a cultural phenomenon as well
This begs one question: Has Ms. Thurman forgiven Quentin Tarantino? From where I'm sitting, the "Quentin of it all" relating to his own violent actions as a director (during Kill Bill), his holding back the crash footage for 15 years, siding with Miramax in Uma's demands after the incident, and the fact he "did not respond to requests for comment" demands more clarification. Ms. Dowd, this story is a scoop indeed, but leaves me with even more unanswered questions. Tarantino's actions could be deemed unlawful ... as well as Weinstein's and yet! Ms. Thurman (the victim here) attends an engagement party (in both of their company) as recently as September? What? My conclusion because you haven't allowed for one here is: money and fame overrides human dignity - again.
14
I don't care how sophisticated you are, as undoubtedly Ms Thurman is, there is no preparation for young women, setting out in the art world (or any other world for that matter). There is constant pressure to "get with it" and you are shamed into not being more," bold", "vulnerable", "expressive" or "spontaneous" or what ever the intimidating phrase du jour is, usually by men. Very few women are really street smart in their teens or 20's and most are fooling themselves if they think they are.
I think this article along with Rose McGowan's, and Selma Hayek's etc horrifying accounts should be part of the required course reading in any arts curriculum and perhaps in ALL women's studies.
580
If it teaches women to not sell their soul for money and immediately walk out once they are subjugated, I'm all for adding this to required undergraduate courses for all majors for all women.
3
And the Lupita Nyong'o first person account as well. Required reading.
4
I have always admired your work and now I see why, there is a core of honesty borne from your Buddhist upbringing and intelligence. I'm so glad that you and these other women have chosen to tell their stories and brought these horrors out into the open where they belong so that maybe this can stop happening. My mother was sexually molested and she said nothing to anyone. She has only chosen to speak of it to close family members now at a very advanced age. This lack of communication has caused pain to our entire family - we have all suffered the effects of my mother's trauma, for our whole lives, most of the time without knowing what happened to her. Maybe your speaking of this can save your children the pain me and my siblings have had as a result of my mother's abuse and silence. Sexual abuse and rape are horrible crimes that need to be reported and discussed. Their effects are not just with the person who was attacked, but the whole family, and your courage Ms. Thurman will help your children, I promise. Your children also feel the scars left by Harvey Weinstein on your soul.
11
I am a family law attorney who regularly represents abused clients - mostly, but not always, women. I'm rather appalled at the ignorance of some of the comments to Ms. Thurman's opinion piece, and how they mirror precisely what happened to her at the hands of Weinstein and Tarantino. The blame the victim mentality of the comments destroy Ms. Thurman's agency and reduce her to an object. Especially the ridiculous comments that conclude you got paid good, so shut up. No amount of money alleviates the abuse and concurrent trauma Ms. Thurman suffered for years at the hands of two older men whom she trusted. I guarantee you that the modest means clients I represent couldn't care less about money. Money may have made Ms. Thurman's life easier, but she'll forever be "gifted" with triggers of the violence she suffered. Let's be really clear about this - this is *not* just about Hollywood, powerful male directors and producers, and doe-eyed, model-beautiful actresses who are too young and too conditioned by our culture to know any better. The kind of abuse perpetrated upon Ms. Thurman happens to all women, in all professions - from tech to fast-food - constantly. Blaming them for having financially profited from their abuse, or being too ignorant or frightened to fight it off in the first place - which is decidedly not what Ms. Thurman did anyway - is precisely what renders this kind of systemic abuse "normal" in our culture in the first place.
1302
Thank you! The more comments I read the more upset I was becoming & then your comment came up. You expressed my feelings better than I could & once again, thank you.
15
Keep up the good fight. I wish you were my lawyer in my battle against the Harvey Weinstein I married. The Judge's and mediator's oblivion about these matters has been soul-crushing, and you're right that it's not about money, but despair caused by people looking the other way in clear view of abuse.
15
Thank you, LK. Spot on. This occurs in ALL professions. So grateful for and proud of the women speaking out now - hoping the veil will lift on the abuse of "ordinary" women in the multitude of unglamorous workplaces.
I am 57 and for the last two years, for the first time in my career, I work on a team which is entirely staffed by women over the age of 40. We are a diverse lot; the most extraordinary element is the genuine respect which bonds us. My pay is 1/3 of what I earned for 10+ years in a high-profile profession in CA. Yet I feel as though I have hit the jackpot. Grateful.
7
Women are not "goddesses"; we are human beings. Bob Thurman's reference to his daughter as a "goddess" is fantasy driven and oppressive too in its own way. That view of women also contributes to the fact that we become afraid to use our voices and our anger to make real and lasting change and to embrace all our humanness and demand that the rest of the world (the other half! We are not a minority!) see us the same way: fierce, complex, real, vulnerable, strong, human. Time's up. Stop touching us against our will, stop oppressing us, stop making us your goddess or your victim.
43
I can't help to question several things when I read these stories. It is never a good idea to go to a man's room with him unless you are prepared for the eventual sex scene. Of course, it shouldn't be that way and I hope the newer generation of men will be better than that. Girls need to be taught these lessons at a young age. I have lost jobs because of refusing sexual advances and was able to move on. We have a long ways to go, baby.
14
No. Girls don't need to be taught this, because it's not true. Males and females can want to spend time together and not be physically attracted to each other. They can even be physically attracted to each other and not want to act on it. I am sick of the myth that males want one thing from females and lack self-control. Some males want one thing from females and lack self-control. Not all! There are ways to protect girls that do not involve perpetuating stereotypes.
Although I’ve heard that Ethan Hawke cheated on her, I appreciate that he stood up to Weinstein. One of the accounts from Gwyneth Paltrow reported that Brad Pitt, her boyfriend at the time, also confronted Weinstein. Whatever they might be privately, they weren’t cowards at that moment.
10
I get it. You gotta play if you want to win and the men have all the power. You tell yourself what you have to in order to get by. But now it's finally okay to say you know I'm not going to hide the truth and if it hurts too bad. It hurt then too.
130
Pulp fiction was a truly great movie, and Uma nailed it, as did the rest of the cast, and the entire company for that matter. I wonder what Uma would have to say if asked if she would do it again? Most artists have to pay the piper, whether with their body or their soul. Just look at all the dead musicians, poets and actors. Not to mention professional athletes, I wonder to compare NFL brain injury to Hollywood sexual injury on the trajectory of a persons life.
6
This is conflating two issues. One is the sexual abuse of women, as indicated by the sexual assault by Weinstein in a hotel room; but putting an actor in a dangerous situation is a disregard for worker safety. But do rich actors like Ms. Thurman ever address the plight of other workers in the U.S., who face dangerous working conditions for profits? Or, are privileged upper class white women the only people worthy of concern?
9
From what I've seen of Tarentino's movies - exceedingly violent, as though wallowing and relishing violence for its own sake - I am not surprised to hear this from Ms. Thurman. Saddened, but not surprised.
14
I don't understand – is the implication here that Tarantino tried to KILL Uma as part of some revenge plot from Weinstein? If you just stop for a second and think about it, it makes absolutely no sense. Yes, sometimes directors are so self-absorbed and arrogant that they force actors to do unpleasant and sometimes even dangerous things (see all of Werner Herzog's career for example), but that's not the same as what seems to be implied here. I'm glad Uma shared her side of the story, but it does feel very one-sided and I don't quite see the connection of the Tarantino incident with the #MeToo movement.
17
She appeared to be an object to both Weinstein and Tarantino.
5
I'm not saying Tarantino was right (although I'd like to hear his side of the story, especially since "producers say they do not recall her objecting."), but it's quite different from what Weinstein did, isn't it? And once again, what's implication here, that Tarantino was careless or made a mistake of judgement or something far more sinister? It seems like the latter, but it's never spelled out.
I’ve always loved Uma Thurman and had profound respect for her. Now I know why.
I’ve always loved Quentin Tarantino and had profound respect for him too. That is beginning to erode. Uma=the bride. QT= Bill. This article= 5 point exploding heart technique.
In other words, for those living under a rock who haven’t seen Kill Bill, this article is huge. Wow.
We love you Uma!
5
"Kill Bill" seemed to embody the story of an extremely powerful woman who had been challenged both emotionally and physically on every level. Little did we know watching that film that it was Uma Thurman who was ninja surfing sadistic and inhumane challenges behind the scenes. If this article is any indication, she has power that The Bride could only dream of.
2
There is a much larger story here, it is not just beautiful actresses that are the victims of indifference our society has been subject to. The repercussions these sexual predators are experiencing today are not even the first group in the docket to face the music of their improprieties. This attitude of indifference associated with wealth and power has reached its limit of tolerance, and will end in its many forms, and by all groups involved with this practice. What has changed is that the Sun has come up, and the world is now waking up to this abomination, with the necessary changes being implemented in what amounts to a blink of an eye in its quickness.
3
So now the "casting couch" has 4 wheels and bad brakes. When even top actresses are fair game there's something beyond rotten in Hollywood.
Somehow the two villains of the piece fit right into this post-modern era. Perhaps they foreshadow comeuppances to develop in other venues.
3
I wept while reading Ms. Thurman’s story. The actions of Weinstein and Tarantino are are beyond outrageous and definitely criminal abuse. Never will I be able to look at their images without rage rising up... because they have not faced justice...while Thurman and so many others live with shame, grief, and rage that torments them persistently. In this dark hour of American history our culture is revealed as a sickness of exploitation, abuse, violence that is not checked by industries, institutions, the criminal judicial or us in general because the targets have been groomed to accept and move on, in spite of the long term damage.
5
ms thurman should bring her car story to the directors guild of america (dga) which likely has a newly minted code of conduct just like all the other newly woke entertainment industry institutions.
her workplace on that day was indeed hostile, her concerns unheeded...
3
Somewhat off topic but at that level of success doesn't Uma Thurman have managers/agents/lawyers to call up Tarantino and say, "Oh that car stunt you asked her to do? The answer is NO. You figure it out".
12
And it was four days from the end of the nine-month shoot. What would have happened if she had refused -- would Tarantino have fired her and re-shot the entire movie with someone else? Would Weinstein have gone for that, considering the cost? Both seem unlikely. Ms. Thurman probably had much, much more power in that situation than she realized.
Unfortunately, she was caught up in the cult of Q and Harvey. Like Disney didn't know it. CAA says he PROMISED never to do it again, so they sent him more prey.
All these Hollywood types make fortunes making movies that glamorize violence and all the worst kinds of human behavior. Now we should feel sorry for them?
17
Why be part of the Tarantino repertoire company, when you know that the main thing he markets is violence, the more grotesquely funny, unexpected, and extreme the better. It seems to be his entire rationale for film-making.
19
Indeed! Ms Thurman and many other actresses seem to have had no qualms participating in movies that degrade and glorify violence and nihilism as long as... they themselves are personally untouched. If Miss Thurman cared about women so much, did she give a thought of how her work affected the lives of women who are not famous, rich, or paid much attention?
21
From the angle of the camera taht was placed in the back of the car pointing to the back of her head, a body double stunt driver could have easily stood in for her. She should have stuck to her guns and insisted on a stunt driver to replace her. Tarantino was a fool for convincing Uma to drive a car that was known to be unsafe.
9
She lost control of a car while filming a movie. She socialized many many times with a guy she now says was a huge pig to her earlier. Perhaps it's just me but I just can't accept this recent notion that privileged Hollywood'ers like Uma Thurman are victims. On the continuum of hardship stories this just doesn't rate.
31
The face and character of women's underdevelopment and victimization have myriad aspects.
1
Powerful, never may my daughters have to suffer like this
2
Not to take anything away from this serious subject, but am I the only reader even remotely curious about this stentence:
"Even though their marriage was spiraling apart, Hawke immediately left the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky to fly to his wife’s side."
Maureen, can we tune in next week for an explanation of this context-free cliffhanger ? Possibly my favorite sentence of anything you have ever written!
261
I think that he was thinking about becoming a Trappist monk at one point in his life ...
10
Interesting. I read that sentence as Dowd's own misogyny or internalization of the low expectations Ms. Thurman says (American) girls are taught to have of men in her "love and cruelty" comment. Ms. Thurman's then husband did what a good person should do in that situation: leave what sounds like a retreat to ensure the safety of a woman he loves or loved, the mother of his children, and someone who, whatever the state of their marriage, needed him. Even though he was at the Abbey? That should not justify inaction.
3
In many strained marriages, recriminations and nastiness abound. I just took it as an acknowledgement that though they were on the outs and Hawke was at a place of retreat (Abbey of Gethsemani) where the focus was on himself, Hawke responded in an empathetic way to the seriousness of the situation. It's not a given that everyone in a difficult marriage would respond the same way.
11
Wow! What strength this woman has.
7
In the midst of a great wave, changing the sea around us, women in all walks of life are telling their stories of defilement, abuse, and harassment at the hands of men with a little or a lot of power over them. And, as usual in America, the stories of famous women are brightly lit while the stories of ordinary women remain in shadow.
Uma Thurman is a great artist who is famous and who has been treated badly by the men she entrusted her career and her life to. It's time for her reckoning, not just for her, but for all the women who are not famous too. We sit through listening to, reading and watching their stories because we as a society owe it to them for all the years we turned a blind eye, passively allowing it all to happen.
The sea change is upon us. Let's hope we can all swim.
22
I applaud you Uma Thurman for coming out with this story. I teach film and I am ashamed to show or discuss the Miramax/ Tarantino films I teach. Tarantino should be ashamed of himself, and if he ever has daughters, I hope he re-evaluates his past.
16
At first, reading this story, I thought-- the story of the car sounds overly dramatic. But the footage belies that. Lap belt only, sand, narrow road, lines of trees on either side. 40 mph could easily be lethal. Weinstein et al are bad enough, but this implies an even deeper level of pathology on Tarantino's part.
43
Or Harvey doesn't just make demands of the women whose careers he controls. I think he told Q to get rid of her or no more career for Q, either.
5
Exactly what I thought. AND the hilt of a long immovable sword wedged into the seat just beside her. It is very lucky she didn't smash her face into that, could have been seriously disabling or deadly as well.
6
Women should not be disposable, nor their dreams. No one should have to just give up. Fighting for change takes time and works within, against, and outside. Instead of tearing down the voices or disputing delayed challenges, listen to these stories and try to make the world better. Most of us come from a place/history/ancestry that had to fight against oppression to build a life with more power and freedom for their children. Rather than fight against the voices that seek to shine a light on our present oppressors, we need to listen and act.
15
Tarantino's films should not ever be insured again. That'll finish him the way, though in a much less horrible way than he tried to finish her.
23
This ruins the next star trek movie for me, as well as any movie ever made by Tarantino.
12
I'm very impressed by Ms. Thurman's honesty and bravery. I've worked in Hollywood for many years and the power that someone like Harvey wields is unfathomable.
Happily, he is paying the price now and one hopes he will die in jail. But I'd love to see some investigative journalists go after the assistants, male and female, who knowingly lured young, vulnerable women into situations where they knew Harvey was going to assault them. They should be outed, people should know their names.
29
I'd only add that I've have known a dozen beautiful women, accomplished and talented women, signed to modeling and other talent agencies, who having grown tired of unwanted advances, demeaning demands and ugly men, left the business rather than accept their generous offers that would have led to fame and fortune.
They all found other lives. The world, for men and women, is a chain of transactions. Men and women in business as well as men and women in the performing and fine arts, have all been at one time or another been offered the opportunity of a lifetime in exchange for some fraction of their "soul." Few resist. Perhaps few can afford to resist.
Speaking from experience, there is a cost to resisting the "snake charmers," and sometimes that cost is considerable, and often lasts the length of a career.
This said, I found the rewards, however inconsequential when measured by popular yardsticks, very rich indeed. There are pleasures in obscurity that fame will never know.
22
Just to mix things up.
I never understood these movies with so much graphic violence and disturbing stories. Now, reading this story and seeing this video I won’t see the movies of Mr. Tarantino. I have always been a fan of Woody Allen, and despite some of his plots lines I can relate to some of the angst he portrays. He was found innocent of charges against him, yet there is a movement by performers and others against him and his films. Are any actors speaking out against Mr. Tarantino?
Are refusing his projects? His actions could have killed Ms. Thurman. I don’t know about Bill, I never saw the movie.
8
I left a brief comment before I saw that silent video segment of her accident. Tarantino was very upset indeed, so upset that he was quick to help, while touching her here, touching her there, to make sure that she was not bleeding profusely. He even managed to twist off the plastic cap from the water bottle with his very own hands!
They should not have allowed her to get out of the car on her own with concussion, as the car was not burning - why wasn't a REAL DOCTOR immediately there?
What sort of lawyer did she hire, that they could not go all the way to get that footage way back then? Oh, a lawyer, who advised her, that financially she is better off on the short run, to just go on and finish the films, show up at public events, not to rock the boat, not to break her contracts.
11
What Ms. Thurman describes is so dehumanizing... yet so normalized. Within my own very different context, I recognize every bit of this, including and especially what she says about confusing collaboration, partnership, and love with control, manipulation, and betrayal.
18
Thank you, Uma.
I appreciate your desire to calmly and carefully parse your feelings before sharing them with the world.
A (yet another) victim of sexual molestation/abuse who reproduced these dynamics in adult relationships, I am struck to the core by the simplicity of your last sentences in this article. "It took a long time because I think that as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection and that is like the sort of era that we need to evolve out of.”
Let's do it!
15
In the film industry, an animal on the set gets protection from government-enforced officers. There is a spectrum of abuse that occurs towards women in the entertainment industry that goes unnoticed and unpunished and unregulated. Society needs to empower the victims. Perhaps this wave of news coverage will do that.
7
Does it occur to any of these people - article writers, actresses, activists - that Harvey is not permanently gone? He is in the desert somewhere. His bank accounts are not drained. Lots of time to read everything being said about him, remembering names, incidents etc. Like it happens in those sequels in mid 20th century monster movies, he may come back. The Frankenstein monster lifting himself out of the bog where everyone was certain he was finished in the last movie. Not quite, but with surely enough resources to fund proxies. Slow turning machinations of vengeance begin to enact.
I think it was Mario Puzo who wrote '"revenge is a dish best served cold". Lots of brazen talk nowadays for not taking some variables into the accounting.
7
Jean-Paul Sartre wrote that the essence of literature, as opposed to poetry, is involved with the appeal, as a beseeching, which it makes to an audience. Poetry, conversely, he wrote, "destroys the language". Can Hollywood, or any other screen venue be an exception? Of course not, because as a fictional characterization of events of life it bears a similarity to literature. This column, not only because of the considerable abilities of the author, but also because of the genuine eloquence and inventiveness of the subject, makes an appeal to reason as well as any column that I have ever read. The subject is also extremely talented, and perhaps there is some sort of isomorphism at work in the events described, which, in an aberrant way, placed her in harms way, which should not be. Fast forward from the events described to her role in von Trier's Nymphomaniac Vol. 1, and the mundane situation of infidelity and adultery, where the subject plays the role of "victimized" wife. Here we have a cameo which has the propensity to threaten the rest of the roles, as it is played with a mastery seldom seen on any screen. The threat fails due to a similar mastery played by the protagonist. Implicit in this is the fact of power, and what it does to people who might otherwise continue with a positive, life-affirming proclivity. Power produces anger, in many instances, and in some, much worse. It should be the hope of all that reason, its accepted appeal, can abrogate much of what follows.
2
Despite all the critical acclaim, I could never bring myself to see those movies. Too disturbing, and now that the truth is out, the violence existed on many levels, and it was real as well as fictional. We can boycott these men and the sick violent films they make. Thank you Uma Thurman for being brave enough to let us know. (And I loved you in Parisian Woman!)
19
Please, people, keep Quentin Tarantino from getting anywhere near the usually uplifting Star Trek franchise.
13
I shied away from seeing the films discussed here when they came out. Now I think my lack of interest was connected to the treatment of women. It's terrible that she went through this and I'm glad they didn't capture any revenue from me.
11
I am curious about something in the article, as the timeline seems odd.
It states that the accident happened with 4 days left in shooting. It then states that after the accident Uma stated that she basically felt betrayed (as she should) and went from being "creative contributor and performer to being like a broken tool"
The very next paragraph explains that Tarantino contributed to this by being the one who spat in her face and choked her with a chain.
Were these scenes filmed AFTER the accident or before? The way the article is written it appears as if they were filmed after, which would make Tarantino's actions beyond reprehensible. However, if not, it changes the context, since prior to the accident they did consider themselves close friends and the actions may have been confined to the process of film making.
None of that changes the fact that he should NEVER have forced her to preform a scene that made her not feel safe, but this article seems to take it from bad to worse, when my gut tells me it is portraying things out of order.
4
The human animal is most often than not, not able to give up their dreams for standing against evil. Therein lies the problem. If Ms. Thurman could have her life back, I doubt whether she would of wanted to go through life long issues with her neck from the accident. Some things can never be reversed!
2
I’m a great fan of Miss Thurman and this op-ed. I’m a survivor of Monsters from early in my childhood and early teen years. It’s now in my mid 40s that I’ve had the courage and strength to confront the injustices that I tried hard to suppress pretending they had no hold on my life much less in formed it. It’s been a painful process to see otherwise and to revisit open wounds. Reading about how angry you were at your hands for not being bloodied or bruised after that nights assault in GV. brought tears to my eyes. I identify and resonate with all that. I’ve been so angry with my self for not having responded a different way. Something I have to forgive myself about and remind that it wasn’t my fault. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I applaud and celebrate you
8
A generation of talented women artists broken by Hollywood. Careers derailed. How can any of us watch movies made during this era, when the Weinsteins dominated the industry, and not see the dead-eyed pain in women's faces? Often I'd watch films made then and wonder why actresses failed to express their characters' souls through their eyes as others of another generation did. Now we learn it's because their soul lights had been extinguished by the aggressors and assaulters the industry celebrated. They were dead inside. May they each rise like a Phoenix.
5
In all honesty I doubt there was ever a time when this was not happening.
While it's sometimes a too convenient move to think an artist's work necessarily reflects his or her actual personality and ethics, it must be pointed out that Tarantino's films consistently revel in violence toward women. The artist-muse relationship is often an abusive one, and not all muses actually have much of a say. Even Hitchcock's work, for all its sadism, has layers of self-consciousness built into it, so that we understand the cruelty onscreen within an implied critique of toxic masculinity and of patriarchal order more generally, which, in Hitchcock's films, tends to be bad for everyone, including the men supposed to benefit from it. But Tarantino's films have a gleeful attitude toward their portrayals of violence against women. When I saw The Hateful Eight with a packed audience, I recall being deeply disturbed by the laughter that erupted each time Kurt Russell's character hit Jason Leigh's character in the face, drawing blood. In interviews, Tarantino said such moments productively give the audience pause, forcing us to think about the cruelty we are seeing. The audience I saw the film with didn't get the memo. From Hitchcock to other brilliant male directors such as Bergman, Fellini, Antonioni, and Godard, the artist-muse relation is coupled with self-reflexive commentary on the possibly destructive nature of this imbalanced dynamic. Not so with Tarantino. And let's not forget his next film will show us the murder of Sharon Tate. A virtuoso set piece, no doubt.
8
I think she handled herself amazingly with Weinstein.
I am more disturbed by Tarantino's treatment of her, which put her life at risk.
2
Gosh, I can see why she was and is so angry. For the life of me, being in the recovery and counseling ministry, It brings tears. It's hard to fathom the predatory nature of some men upon women, even daughters, nieces... the damage this has caused to women is unfathomable... my heart goes out to Ms. Thurman as well as my prayers for her inner healing as well as healing for her body which was injured in the accident. Praying for you Uma... you are loved and appreciated, your talent is over the top....blessings to you... Forgive and move through this... easier said than done....God love your dearly...
3
When I read about the spitting on Uma, I immediately thought of Catherine Deneuve in "Bell de Jour", who, in one scene, had mud thrown at her while tied up in a white dress. Uma says in the last paragraph, "It took a long time because I think as little girls we are conditioned to believe that cruelty and love somehow have a connection..." Catherine, I hope you read this.
6
That’s it for me. Will never watch another Tarantino film. He was very much overrated as a director anyway. He lost it a long time ago after that first film that will not even be named by me in this comment.
8
Thank you Uma, may you find peace and justice. Quentin reminds me of Bela and Martha Karolyi -it’s all about money or medals with women as the commodities to get them there. I hope you start making and starring in movies based on real women and not some man’s stylized version. There is no liberation in the latter.
5
I tried watching a Tarantino movie. It was too violent and I can't imagine wanting to act in one.
12
Imagine the art that could have evolved had female actresses, artists, singers, etc. been empowered and emboldened to do our work without having to constantly dodge the disgusting behavior of men in power. I am so inspired at what women have achieved literally against all odds with violence coming at us from every direction. I applaud women in the public eye for having the courage to speak up about their experiences. It lends credence and courage to all women, even those of us who have experienced violence very well outside the public eye. Thank you, Uma. You're inspiring.
5
Uma ~ my heart goes out to you. Bosses everywhere use women, but few bosses (except maybe construction bosses) have the power to put women in mortal danger.
Many men are great bosses and mentors. A few men are abusive mentors and bosses. Big, dangerous difference.
I also think, Uma, that show business is a really dangerous business - kind of like gymnastics. Many of us work in dangerous settings, but show business is right up there with lumber-jacking. Our best to you. Good luck. Thanks for telling your story. In the end, all the stories together will change things.
3
When I was in LA in the very late 80s, I attended the premiere of a movie my (now) husband worked on and so did Uma Thurman. It was an HBO movie with the great Albert Finney. Trying to avoid the press, she and Robert Downey Jr. snuck in as the movie started. She was Hollywood's newest flavor of the month, having just finished Dangerous Liaisons. Afterward, they tried to flee out a back door of the theater, with the press running after them. As she ran to a waiting car, she left one of her shoes behind. I remember thinking it was like Cinderella. So sorry to hear it wasn't actually a fairytale for her. Although, I can't say I'm surprised. I left Hollywood two years later in disgust.
2
Uma is so loved for her bravery. Her father is right; she is a goddess!
1
I’m so sorry these horrible things happened to you. You have always been a luminous and talented actor. Sharing your story helps the rest of us process our own horrible experiences. I am hoping and praying this all leads to a great change in what is considered normal and accepted behavior. I wish you peace and love.
3
She is very classy and I always liked and admired her. Plus those roles! I remember seeing her once in Penn Station, must have been before 9/11, taxis still could drop you off under. Sad to read what she (and so many others) has to endure from men with great power but no character. Glad she came through!
Very powerful piece. I have not seen any of these movies because after seeing "Psycho," I vowed to never see another violent movie...they affect my sleep, my thoughts, my persona in a very negative way. Hitchcock set the tone for animals like Weinstein and Tarantino. Uma is a courageous woman, and her story will be remembered.
2
I'd like to hear more about how CAA (creative Artists Agency) agents behaved in all of this. Sounds like they haven't been representing women as well as they've been representing men. It actually sounds like Hollywood talent agencies have representing men at the expense of women. The massive pay discrepancy from William Morris for All the Money In the World, and whatever is going on at CAA, as referenced here. Hollywood needs a complete dismantling.
10