In The Fade actress Diane Kruger has released a statement regarding Quentin Tarantino's treatment of her on the set of his film Inglourious Basterds.
The prolific director of cult favourites like Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs has come under fire recently following comments Uma Thurman made in the New York Times. Speaking exclusively with NYT, the actress alleged that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed her on multiple occasions throughout the course of their working relationship, something that she had allegedly informed Tarantino about. (Weinstein, through his representative, has denied the allegations of harassment.)
Thurman also stated that her own working relationship with Tarantino was fractured due to an alleged incident in which the director demanded she drive a stunt car she deemed a "death trap." Thurman accidentally crashed the vehicle into a tree.
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"I felt this searing pain [after the accident] and thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m never going to walk again," Thurman told NYT. "When I came back from the hospital in a neck brace with my knees damaged and a large massive egg on my head and a concussion, I wanted to see the car and I was very upset. Quentin and I had an enormous fight, and I accused him of trying to kill me."
The alleged treatment of Thurman on set has led some to reexamine a scene from Inglourious Basterds, a film which starred Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark. In one scene, Bridget is strangled to death by Hans Landa, portrayed by Christoph Waltz. However, in an interview with Parade, Kruger revealed that it was actually Tarantino, not Waltz, whose hands are used for the close-up shot of the strangling.
"Quentin said, 'He’s not going to do it right, it’ll either be too much or too little. I know exactly what I need and I think I should just do it,'" Kruger told the outlet. "I have to say it was very strange being strangled by the director."
Now, Kruger has taken to Instagram to clear up her feelings about the Kill Bill director. In her statement, the star says that she stands with Thurman and the #MeToo movement.
"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. 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," she wrote.
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Kruger added that she never had any issue with Tarantino while working on set.
"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. With love, D xoxo"
While Kruger did not experience abuse on set of Inglourious Basterds, this particular issue shows an important progression within the #MeToo movement. Thurman's New York Times piece proves that the #MeToo movement is opening up the floor for women to talk about all kinds of abuses of power — even when its context is not always sexual. Respect in the workplace is vital to gender equality, and now seems like more fitting time than ever to fight for it.
Refinery29 has reached out to reps for Kruger, Tarantino, and Thurman. We will update this post should we hear back.