Diane Kruger has weighed in on the actions and behaviour of Quentin Tarantino following Uma Thurman’s traumatic account of working with the director on Kill Bill.
Speaking to The New York Times, Thurman first recounted how Tarantino choked her with a chain and spat in her face for a Kill Bill scene, and persuaded her into performing a car stunt against her wishes, resulting in a crash.
Following Thurman’s disturbing recollections, comparisons were drawn to a scene in Inglourious Basterds in which Tarantino choked Diane Kruger’s character Bridget von Hammersmark.
But while Kruger says she supports Thurman, she herself did not feel disrespected or uncomfortable on the set of Inglourious Basterds.
“In light of the recent allegations made by Uma Thurman against Harvey Weinstein and her terrifying work experience on Kill Bill, my name has been mentioned in numerous articles in regards to the choking scene in Inglourious Basterds,” Kruger posted on Instagram.
Kruger continued: “This is an important moment in time and my heart goes out to Uma and anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault and abuse. I stand with you.
“For the record however, I would like to say that my work experience with Quentin Tarantino was pure joy. He treated me with utter respect and never abused his power or forced me to do anything I wasn’t comfortable with.”
Actress Busy Phillips, however, has no love for Tarantino and condemned both his on-set behaviour and his defence of Roman Polanski over the sexual assault of a 13-year-old.
“Like fucking spiting [sic] on an actresses face and choking her wasn’t enough,” Phillips posted on Twitter. “Fuck this guy. Fuck anyone who works with him. I’m embarrassed that I ever auditioned for him. Fuck him.”
Tarantino has also responded to Thurman’s recollections about the car crash, describing the incident as “one of the biggest regrets” of his life.
“It was heartbreaking,” Tarantino said, CNN reports. “Beyond one of the biggest regrets of my career, it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. For a myriad of reasons.”