Uma Thurman, best known for her iconic role as The Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, has revealed that she does not “particularly like violence” despite her association with some of cinema’s most brutal action sequences. In a candid interview with InStyle, the actress explained: “Some people really like it; I don’t like it.”
Her comments shed new light on her career choices and the careful approach she has taken toward action roles since the early 2000s.
Avoiding Action for Nearly Two Decades
Thurman admitted that she largely avoided the action genre for almost twenty years, only returning when projects met her creative standards. She developed a personal framework for evaluating scripts, asking whether the violence was “motivated,” “beautiful,” and “genuinely executed.”
This philosophy allowed her to step away from roles that might have diluted the legacy of Kill Bill, while still leaving the door open for unique projects that aligned with her artistic vision.
A Bold Return with Pretty Lethal
One such project is Pretty Lethal, a stylized thriller blending ballet and horror. The film follows ballerinas stranded in a remote inn that becomes a house of horrors. Thurman plays a former dancer with a “unique physical disability” who seeks revenge.
She described the movie as unconventional: “It’s girly, and then it’s wild. It’s gruesome, funny, and powerful. It’s so over the top, it’s above the top.” Working alongside younger stars like Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, and Iris Apatow, Thurman said she was moved by their passion and commitment.
Other Recent Roles
Thurman’s return to action began in 2025 with The Old Guard 2, where she starred alongside Charlize Theron. She explained on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that she had avoided action films after Kill Bill to prevent being typecast in “B action movies.”
“I never really followed Kill Bill up with action because I didn’t kind of want to be in a whole bunch of ‘B’ action movies,” she said. “When you do Kill Bill, you never stop hearing about it. So I did other stuff.”
Beyond Action
In addition to her recent projects, Thurman has explored diverse roles in dramas, comedies, and streaming series. She continues to evolve her career, balancing her aversion to gratuitous violence with a willingness to embrace stories that use action in meaningful, artistic ways. Her reflections highlight the tension between an actor’s personal sensibilities and the roles that define their public image. For Thurman, the legacy of Kill Bill remains intact, but her latest projects prove she is still willing to push boundaries — on her own terms.
