Kill Bill producer Lawrence Bender denies Uma Thurman car crash cover-up while apologising to actor

Kill Bill producer Lawrence Bender has apologised to Uma Thurman after the actor shared footage of a car crash on the set of the film that she claims “nearly killed” her.

Bender expressed regret over the crash, but denied the actor’s allegation he took part in a cover-up of the incident and insisted he did not hide anything from Thurman or anyone else.

Thurman alleged acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino persuaded her to film a Kill Bill scene in a moving car without a stunt driver.

Speaking to the New York Times over the weekend, the actor claimed Tarantino pressured her into taking part in the dangerous “stunt” despite being aware of the risks.

While filming the scene in Mexico, Thurman lost control of the vehicle and was badly injured. The actor referred to the incident as “dehumanisation to the point of death” and claimed the vehicle was unsafe - branding it a “death-box”.

Thurman, who is often hailed as Tarantino’s muse, said: “The steering wheel was at my belly and my legs were jammed under me. I felt this searing pain and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to walk again.’”

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Thurman said the incident led to her getting into a fight with Tarantino which went on for years because she was not allowed to view the footage.

After the article was published, Thurman posted footage of herself driving the car on Instagram and added a new statement about the incident. She said that while she believes Tarantino to be regretful, she holds “Lawrence Bender, E Bennett Walsh, and the notorious Harvey Weinstein solely responsible” for the cover-up.

“I post this clip to memorialise its full exposure in the NYT by Maureen Dowd. The circumstances of this event were negligent to the point of criminality. I do not believe though with malicious intent,” she said alongside the footage.

“Quentin Tarantino was deeply regretful and remains remorseful about this sorry event, and gave me the footage years later so I could expose it and let it see the light of day, regardless of it most likely being an event for which justice will never be possible."

Bender, who also produced Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Reservoir Dogs, has apologised for the incident.

“I deeply regret that Uma suffered the pain she has, both physically and emotionally, for all of these years from the accident that occurred on the set of Kill Bill,” he said in a statement. “The safety of the professionals who work on the movies I produce is vital to me and I never want to let anyone down.”

He added: “I never hid anything from Uma or anyone else nor did I participate in any cover-up of any kind - and I never would. I was informed of Uma’s feelings in regard to this incident a few months ago and have done my best over this time to get as much verifiable information from all of the relevant sources that I could and shared it with Quentin [Tarantino]. I wanted to make sure she had all of the answers she had been seeking.”

He concluded: “I have great respect for Uma Thurman, both as an artist and a person, and only wish her well.”

Tarantino has responded to Thurman’s allegations and said the crash is one of his biggest regrets.

Discussing his current relationship with Thurman in a lengthy interview with Deadline published on Monday, the director said: “We’ve been okay. Uma was in turmoil about the uprising against me this whole weekend. She blames me for not talking to Maureen Dowd [the NYT journalist], saying it’s your own damn fault.

“She never meant this to roll over onto me. We’ve been talking about it ad-nauseum and I feel bad because she has been doing a Broadway play, at the same time. The whole weekend, we’ve been talking. The uproar that happened against me, she was not prepared for. We have a long complicated history. We have been dealing with it for 22 years. We’re both one of the closest people in each other’s lives.”

He said: "She blamed me for the crash and she had a right to blame me for the crash. I didn't mean to do it. I talked her into getting in the car, I assured her the road was safe. And it wasn't."