An Oct. 18 Access Hollywood video of Uma Thurman answering a question about sexual harassment in Hollywood has been making the rounds today after a tweet from New York Magazine contributor Yashar Ali. (For reference, by Oct. 18, Harvey Weinstein had been fired and Amazon’s Roy Price had been suspended, but the James Toback story didn’t break until Oct. 22.) Thurman was at a red carpet event for her upcoming Broadway debut, The Parisian Woman, when an Access Hollywood journalist asked for her thoughts on “women speaking out about inappropriate behavior in the workplace.” Boy did she have some:
Thurman’s visible struggle to maintain her composure while discussing the matter—clenched jaw, deep breaths, carefully articulating a few words at a time—is an extraordinary image of rage being checked and pushed down, not entirely successfully. It also suggests that if Thurman does choose to speak out in more detail, she’s going to have a lot to say. Thurman’s films at Miramax include Pulp Fiction, A Month by the Lake, Beautiful Girls and Kill Bill; the New York Times has also reported, as an aside, that she was dating Italian film executive Fabrizio Lombardo during the production of Pulp Fiction. Lombardo stands accused of helping Weinstein procure women during his tenure as the head of Miramax Italy.
Here’s the text of Thurman’s exchange with Access Hollywood:
Access Hollywood: In light of recent news—Gwenyth has spoken out, now Angelina has spoken out—you’re such a powerful woman in film. What are your thoughts about women speaking out about inappropriate behavior in the workplace?
Thurman: I think it’s commendable. And I don’t have a tidy sound bite for you, because I’ve learned—I am not a child—and I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself. So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry. And when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.
