‘Kill Bill’ Stunt Coordinator Talks Uma Thurman Crash: ‘At No Point Was I Notified Or Consulted’
Keith Adams, the stunt coordinator who worked on the Kill Bill film series, has spoken up about recent allegations put forth by actress Uma Thurman.
Thurman's On-Set Car Crash
Earlier this month, Thurman took to social media to upload video footage of a car crash she suffered while filming the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill.
Along with the clip, was a lengthy caption, in which the actress accused the film's producers: Harvey Weinstein, Lawrence Bender, and E. Bennett Walsh, of covering up the accident that permanently damaged her neck and knees.
A post shared by Uma Thurman (@ithurman) on Feb 5, 2018 at 10:15am PST
Although Thurman praised Tarantino for helping her obtain the crash footage after 15 years despite the potential damage it could cause him, she alleged that the filmmaker urged her to perform the stunt herself even though she wasn't comfortable going ahead with it and wanted a stunt double.
The stunt required the Pulp Fiction actress to drive a rattrap convertible through a curvy, sandy road in Mexico at 40 mph. However, the stunt went horribly wrong, Thurman lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into a tree leaving her with permanent injuries.
Stunt Coordinator Addresses Allegations
Adams, whose credits include Spider-Man: Homecoming and Fate of the Furious, has now broken his silence over the incident in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. He told the publication that he and his entire team were not present on set at the time of the crash since there were no stunts scheduled for the day.
He also noted that even though driving a car at 40 mph on a sandy stretch would classify as a stunt, neither Tarantino nor the producers got in touch with him or informed him about their decision to let Thurman take the wheel.
Adams also pointed out that had he been on set, he would not only have insisted using a professional stunt driver but also ensure that the vehicle was in perfect working condition and safe to drive.
"No stunts of any kind were scheduled for the day of Ms. Thurman's accident," Adams said. "All of the stunt department was put on hold and no one from the stunt department was called to set. At no point was I notified or consulted about Ms. Thurman driving a car on camera that day."
"Had I been involved," he added, "I would have insisted not only on putting a professional driver behind the wheel but also insuring that the car itself was road-worthy and safe."
