Though now widely recognized as a seminal film with indelible cultural influence — sparking references, parodies and homages aplenty since its 1994 release — Pulp Fiction, created on a small seven-figure budget, wasn’t something star Uma Thurman initially realized would have such a watershed impact.
In a recent interview with The Times U.K., the Oscar nominee discussed her four-decade-plus career and turn alongside Charlize Theron in Victoria Mahoney’s The Old Guard 2, released July 2 on Netflix.
“I knew it was special, you could tell from the writing, the uniqueness,” Thurman said of the Quentin Tarantino- helmed and written feature, “but it was a relatively small film.”
Amid its debut at Cannes, where it won the coveted Palme d’Or, Thurman had already been acting for 10 years. At 24, she starred as Mia Wallace, the wife to Ving Rhames’ crime boss and an aspiring actress, for which she was Oscar nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. Though her black bob cut, monochromatic attire and penchant for cigarettes comprised an iconic look for the era, Thurman wasn’t Miramax’s first choice for the project — with Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Holly Hunter and Rosanna Arquette being considered — and stated previously she was unsure about taking on the role.
“He wasn’t this revered demigod auteur that he has grown into,” she told Vanity Fair previously, adding she was in a “funny little slump” following the box office failure of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and that the vulgarity of the film made her initially hesitant. “And I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it because I was worried about the gimp stuff. No one could believe I even hesitated in any way. Neither can I, in hindsight.”
Elsewhere in her interview with The Times, Thurman spoke of her daughter, Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke, and how she avoids giving her professional advice: “Oh, she knows what she’s doing. She went to Juilliard, thank God. She actually finished high school. And what I did learn [about mothering] is that nobody listens. So it’s really about being there for [my kids] rather than telling them what to do,” she said.
Pulp Fiction, about two hitmen — portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta — and how their exploits intersect with the lives of a cast of characters existing in the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, also stars Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel. Considered Tarantino’s magnum opus, the flick was nominated for seven Oscars, winning for Best Original Screenplay.
Thurman can currently be seen flexing her Kill Bill-era action skills in The Old Guard 2 as well as Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection, now airing its first season.
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