Uma Thurman has made a lot of movies over the years, but some of her most prominent roles have been in Quentin Tarantino movies, including Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol 2. She recently spoke out about her time in the latter movies, noting that the role of The Bride has been really gratifying, namely because of the impact her Kill Bill character Beatrix Kiddo has had on women. She said:
Women would come up to me and they would say that somehow or other -- they'd share a little bit --- that that film helped them in their lives, whether they were feeling oppressed or struggling or had a bad boyfriend or felt badly about themselves, that that film released in them some survival energy that was helpful, and that is probably one of the most gratifying things that I have ever experienced in response to a piece of art.
Speaking at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (via Variety), Uma Thurman discussed some of her movie roles, including the character in Kill Bill. She said that after she made the movies (in 2003 and 2004) fans would come up to her and tell her how Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 had given them strength they didn't know they had.
If you haven't caught either of the Quentin Tarantino films, the first one follows Uma Thurman's character, then, The Bride. The Bride is pregnant and shot on her wedding day. She survives, only to take revenge on those who had forsaken her. In the second film, her assassination attempts continue, and she begins tracking down her daughter, aged four, and her former husband, who tried to have her murdered on her wedding day.
The movie is violent and sometimes difficult to get through, but through hardships (including being raped while comatose), Beatrix Kiddo prevails. A lot of the enemies she fights are also women, and when the movies came out more than a decade ago, finding female characters that were so driven and kickass was a whole lot rarer than they have been in the superhero era.
Uma Thurman's comments weren't confined to talking about Kill Bill. As noted prior, she's been involved in a lot of projects, and she also talked fondly about Woody Allen and Lars Von Trier's directing styles. She also said she really finds it profound to contribute to the world of cinema, noting that film festivals help to keep the medium alive.
These festivals are crucial to support, promote and keep alive this 90-minute, 120-minute narrative. It's a form of dramatic storytelling that I fell in love with, and it's a challenge to keep doing it, so it's just being part of that support.
There's been some talk about making Kill Bill 3 over the years, but for now, you can next catch Uma Thurman in a slew of projects including Serenity, The War with Grandpa, Down A Dark Hall and The Brits are Coming. To see what films are hitting theaters sooner, take a look at CinemaBlend's full schedule.
