It has been an eventful period for Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino following the actresses’ revealing interview in the New York Times. Not only did she finally open up about her relationship with Harvey Weinstein and the anger she alluded to in November 2017, but she also revealed details about her falling out with Tarantino. This included details and footage of a crash on the set of the film that she called “negligent to the point of criminality.” She also added that she didn’t feel it was malicious, but it was enough to cast the director in a negative light. His response called the crash a “horrendous mistake” and it would seem that the stunt coordinator on the film would agree.
In an email to The Hollywood Reporter, Keith Adams claims that he and his entire stunt department were kept from the set on the day of the accident. This could possibly stem from Tarantino’s assertion that he didn’t consider it a stunt and “it was just driving,” but Adams notes that the situation would’ve been handled much differently had he been involved:
“No stunts of any kind were scheduled for the day of Ms. Thurman’s accident,” states Adams in an email to THR. “All of the stunt department was put on hold and no one from the stunt department was called to set. At no point was I notified or consulted about Ms. Thurman driving a car on camera that day.
“Had I been involved,” Adams continues, “I would have insisted not only on putting a professional driver behind the wheel but also insuring that the car itself was road-worthy and safe…
“On any set, my number one priority and the priority of any stunt coordinator is the safety of the cast and crew,” said Adams. “For a stunt coordinator to do their job properly, they must be involved at every step of the process and given the opportunity to intervene when changes to the shoot are made.”
“Unfortunately,” he added, “I did not have that opportunity in this case.”
SAG-AFTRA also disagreed with Tarantino over the scene and its qualifications as a stunt, adding in a statement that it “sounds like a stunt and would be a likely safety violation.” The Hollywood Reporter adds this frightening aspect provided by veteran stunt performer Andy Armstrong:
“That could have been a death by decapitation,” veteran coordinator Armstrong said. “The car could easily have rolled over [or] the camera could have flown forward. It was irresponsibility on a mega level.”
It’s not hard to imagine why they tried to keep the footage away from Thurman at this point. The reaction has been strong condemnation to this point and you can only imagine the reaction if something tragic had happened.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
