The ugly duckling, the owner of attractive feet and the fallen woman: 15 facts about Uma Thurman (16 photos)

Uma Thurman is one of the most charismatic actresses in Hollywood.





Uma was born into the family of a Buddhist monk



The family in which Uma Thurman grew up is, without exaggeration, unique. Her mother was a hereditary baroness and a very successful model, and her father studied Eastern religions and became the first American in history to be tonsured a monk by the Dalai Lama himself.

True, after a few years Robert Thurman had to renounce his monastic vows, but he remained faithful to some Buddhist principles. Uma received her rare name from her father - in Indian mythology this was the name of one of the wives of Khiva.

“In my family, too unusual and informal, any rebellion was encouraged. That is why I spent my entire childhood trying to become normal. To be like everyone else became my dream and my rebellion. That’s why, at the age of 12, I signed up for the cheerleading team—for Americans, you couldn’t imagine anything more banal. The father was furious, and the mother said: “I gave my children the most important thing - life. They will have to figure out the rest on their own.” In the end, nothing came of my rebellion.”

Until the age of 15, Uma Thurman considered herself a real freak





“I was quite chubby. I had a huge nose and my eyes looked like they had been glued on in my head and the size had been missed. In addition, I was head and shoulders above my peers (1.80 m at 12 years old), I constantly stumbled and fell, and my name was too exotic. Therefore, as a child, kind classmates often called me ugly - and it was incredibly painful. After all, I was born into a family of noted beauties: my mother was a luxurious model, and my grandmother in her hometown even had a monument erected for her beauty. And then suddenly I...

I stopped smiling because I was told I had an ugly smile, wore baggy clothes because I was teased as a “walking pole.” And only at the age of fifteen my face changed - then the talk about nose correction gradually faded away. I calmed down a little. It was already possible to live with such a face, although I had come to terms with the fact that I was ugly.

When a few years later I got into the cinema and everyone started excitedly calling me a beauty, I didn’t believe a single word. And I still don’t believe it.”

Terry Gilliam called Uma Thurman a "fallen woman"



At the age of 15, Uma Thurman dropped out of school and moved to New York. She had only $300 in her pocket, so she had to combine endless modeling and acting auditions with working as a dishwasher.

However, the first truly significant episode in the movie became a real test for her.

“Terry Gilliam, who was filming The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, was looking for a young girl for a parody of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and found me. I agreed because there were no other offers, but I was incredibly nervous: after all, I had never undressed in front of the camera. And here I had to stand completely naked. Gilliam felt this and constantly teased me: “There is no turning back! Uma, you’ve already undressed, you’re a fallen woman!” Believe it or not, these screams made me feel better.”

After this, Uma realized that sexuality is one of the factors of success, and starred in Philip Kaufman’s provocative film “Henry and June,” which at first was even given a rental rating of “pornography” (later it was changed). After him, the yellow press began to call Thurman “a sex symbol for intellectuals.” Uma didn’t mind: “Sexuality is an important part of any art. Actors should not forget this."

Uma Thurman wanted to give up Pulp Fiction



When the actress was sent the script for Pulp Fiction in the early nineties, she was horrified.

“My heroine snorted cocaine, and I didn’t even really know what it was! And also swearing on every page, and in the story, my “husband” was raped. In general, I could not persuade myself to sign the contract. Although she knew very well that there was a huge queue for this role, in which even Michelle Pfeiffer stood. Luckily, Tarantino doesn't understand the word "no." He brainwashed me for three hours in a restaurant, and I still agreed. And now I can’t even imagine that I once didn’t want to work with him!”

Uma Thurman's role in "Pulp Fiction" was helped by her feet



According to legend, as soon as Quentin Tarantino saw Uma Thurman's feet, he immediately realized that she should play the fatal Mia in his film. After all, big feet on a woman are damn sexy! However, Thurman, on the contrary, was embarrassed by her legs, and the director spent more than one hour persuading her to take off her shoes in front of the camera.

The famous dance of Uma and John Travolta, which the characters dance barefoot, required special persuasion, because the actress considered herself too clumsy. However, the director was stubborn and persistent, so the actress gave up - and a few months later she woke up as a star. By the way, she now jokes that Tarantino took so many shots of her bare feet that they could be made into a separate film.

Uma lost 11 kilograms for Kill Bill



Thurman could never boast of being overweight, but filming of the most important film in her life was supposed to begin a couple of months after giving birth. Therefore, Uma Thurman had to get into shape at an accelerated pace.

“It’s stupid to take on a project of this magnitude when you look like a fat-butted samurai! Therefore, I had to limit myself: I only ate steamed fish and vegetables, rice and miso soup. The most terrible temptation was bread, which I literally dreamed about at night. Therefore, when the waiter at the restaurant put the buns in front of me, I immediately poured a glass of water on them - so as not to grab the crispy crust and put it in my mouth.

At the same time, my training lasted 5-8 hours. I had to master three styles of kung fu, two styles of sword fighting, knife fighting and a bunch of other things. Of course, at first I hoped that I wouldn’t have to do this myself: that stuntmen would replace me, that some of the tricks would be “hidden” during editing, and so on. However, Quentin was merciless, and I realized that nothing could save me. So I had to sweat - and it was incredibly difficult. As a result, I lost 11 kilograms in a month and a half and mastered pirouettes that I could never even dream of before.”

The actress had an accident while filming Kill Bill 2



The very first day of training for the film “Kill Bill” almost ended in tragedy: for the first time in her life, the actress picked up a sword, tried to swing it and hit herself on the head with all her might. However, compared to what happened on the set of Kill Bill 2, such an incident can be called trivial.

According to the script, Thurman's character was supposed to drive in a car at a speed of 60 km/h. The actress knew how to drive, but the convertible was too small and uncomfortable, so Uma had difficulty getting into it and was severely limited in her movements. The director did not react to her complaints, saying that the car was in excellent condition and everything would be fine.

“During one of the takes, the wheel of this wreck fell off. I flew into a palm tree and lost consciousness. At the first second, it seemed to everyone that I had fallen to my death. Fortunately, the worst did not happen, and at the hospital they made me understand that I escaped with a “mild fright”: I “only” had a concussion, knee and neck injuries. Filming, of course, was stopped for several weeks. But for some reason no one was in a hurry to admit guilt: the Miramax bosses blamed our producer, Harvey Weinstein, for the accident, and he blamed everything on Quentin. I was terribly angry with both of them and believed that they both conspired to kill me.”

At 16, Uma Thurman encountered a rapist



This happened a few months after the future actress moved to New York.

In one of the nightclubs, she encountered an adult guy of about 20 years old: he was terribly drunk, but he persuaded the naive girl to continue the party at his house. In an interview with The New York Times, she spoke about this terrible experience:

“Unfortunately, I was compliant. I tried to say no, I cried and did everything I could. He told me the door was locked, but I never tried to open it. I remember standing in front of the mirror after returning home, looking at my hands and getting angry - they weren’t bloody or bruised.”

Ume Thurman was harassed by Harvey Weinstein



The meeting with the rapist helped Uma deal with another, more terrible Don Juan - Harvey Weinstein.

“We met Harvey while filming Pulp Fiction,” the actress said in a long interview with the New York Times. “He constantly hovered around me, praising my intelligence and talent, saying that fame and money awaited me. That is, I was just chatting up a naive girl, which, fortunately, I was no longer at that time. Then he called me to his room, and I went, because I perceived him not as a threat, but as an eccentric old guy. He came out to me in a robe and black boots and asked me to undress. I just smiled and replied that I was cold. He didn't understand my joke and quickly retreated.

Nevertheless, the harassment continued, and, in the end, he called me back to the room. Then I came to him and said: “If you try to do to me what you did to others, I promise you that you will lose your career, reputation and family.” "Harvey turned red and slammed the door in my face."

Harvey Weinstein did not forgive Uma Thurman for refusing



Fortunately, he could not ruin the actress’s career, but the resentment towards her remained. That is why he hinted to Tarantino many times that he did not want to see Uma in The Hateful Eight, which he was just about to shoot.

The director did not pay attention to these “recommendations” and nevertheless offered the role to Thurman, which she refused for other reasons. And then it became known that the episode in Kill Bill in which Michael Madsen's character spits in Uma Thurman's face was strongly suggested by Weinstein.

“Of course, he apologized for his behavior. But when I hear talk about Harvey, it seems to me that I am involved in all this dirt. As if I have any guilt for those women whom he touched and whose careers he ruined. After all, I was able to say “no” and stay on the crest of the wave. But they didn’t succeed.”

Uma Thurman believes that her appearance limits the selection of roles



Many actors claim that they are capable of playing anyone: even an elf, even a hardened criminal. Thurman, on the contrary, looks at his capabilities without any illusions.

“I have always been so unconventional that I was not even considered for many roles that could have suited my age or type. For example, I was never offered to play victims of unrequited love. It is believed that someone like me - tall and sharp - cannot suffer. However, when Quentin started working on “Kill Bill,” everyone unanimously dissuaded him from taking me to this project. Like, Thurman is too sophisticated and she will look funny with a sword in her hand. Nevertheless, I did it - and now no one perceives me differently.”

Uma Thurman could play Lara Croft



However, Thurman herself refused some iconic roles. For example, in 2000, she received an offer to become a tomb raider, but the project seemed stupid to her. But she didn’t give up Eowyn from “The Lord of the Rings” of her own free will: the actress had just given birth to her son Levon Greene Hawke, and she had no opportunity to leave him alone.

As for Uma’s dream roles, they are quite strange: she would really like to play Anna Akhmatova, as well as the Tempter Serpent from the Garden of Eden, who seduced Eve to try the treasured fruit.

The actress is not attracted to communication on social networks



“I think it's boring. Although, perhaps someday I will get the hang of it too. But for now I have no desire to spend my life on social networks. Besides, I'm too honest. I can openly criticize someone and then regret it. So I would have to apologize and write retractions every week! Moreover, I hate hasty criticism - I feel dirty after such conversations.”

True, the actress did open an Instagram account - now she has 1.3 million subscribers.

Thurman tries to stick to a vegetarian diet



Uma became interested in vegetarianism at the age of 11, but was never able to completely give up meat or dairy products.

“I love meat! But I understand that it is incredibly toxic to the human body, and the industry of killing and eating animals is destructive to the planet as a whole. That’s why I’ve been struggling with my taste habits all my life and try to keep meat to a minimum in my diet.”

Otherwise, the actress is extremely unpretentious. She likes pistachio ice cream and chips, salted nuts and chocolate. By the way, food helps her switch: in order to get out of the working state and start resting, Uma must eat something tasty.

Uma Thurman is not afraid of her age



In 2015, the yellow press began to write that Uma Thurman had undergone several plastic surgeries, because her face had changed too much. The actress had to make excuses.

“Yes, there were no operations! I just started wearing makeup a little differently, so you didn’t recognize me. I’m not afraid to seem “old”, because all people change when they get older - and I’m no exception. This does not mean that over the years we all turn into some kind of freaks: there is simply the beauty of youth, and there is the beauty of maturity. And the woman, who is over fifty, is also beautiful. True, on one condition: if she doesn’t try to look like a 12-year-old girl.”