Though now widely recognised as a seminal film with indelible cultural influence, sparking countless references, parodies, and homages since its 1994 release, Pulp Fiction, created on a modest seven-figure budget, wasn’t something star Uma Thurman initially realized would have such a watershed impact, per deadline.com.
In a recent interview with The Times UK, the Oscar nominee discussed her four-decade-plus career and her 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, a role 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 film’s vulgarity 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.”
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.
•Featured image: Uma Thurman in ‘Pulp Fiction’/Miramax/Courtesy Everett Collection
