Uma Thurman Reveals Why She Stepped Back from Action Roles

Uma Thurman, an iconic figure in the action film genre, is making waves again. After playing a fierce role in one of the biggest action franchises of all time, Thurman took an unexpected hiatus from the genre. But why this drastic shift? In her recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, she opened up about why she paused her action flicks following her acclaimed role in Kill Bill.

Thurman shared, “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 felt a palpable pressure after her success in the Tarantino films, adding, “When you do Kill Bill, you never stop hearing about it. It’s like, ‘Oh, got to be very careful about what I do next.’ So I did other stuff.” This careful approach kept her away from the action genre for decades.

Fast forward to today, and Thurman is ready to dive back into action with her role in The Old Guard 2, where she’ll play a villain opposite Charlize Theron’s character Andy. A project that intrigued her enough to change her stance, she remarked, “It seemed different.” For Thurman, it was a chance to “put my toe into action again.”

Despite her years of experience in action roles, Thurman humorously noted that time constraints limited her training for this new character. “Oh, if only I could have trained,” she joked, adding, “I came on to do it kind of at the end. So I had no training. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, a sword. I think I hold it like this.'” It seems that her time as The Bride in Kill Bill: Volume 1 and its sequel has left some muscle memory intact.

When asked about the possibility of a third Kill Bill, Thurman offered a realistic update, noting, “It has been discussed over the years… but I don’t see it as immediately on the horizon.” Many fans have been eagerly anticipating a sequel, but she expressed disappointment at dashing those hopes, stressing it’s not in the immediate plans.

However, her action-packed return is set for July 2, when The Old Guard 2 premieres on Netflix. With a fresh twist in her new role and the excitement of old fans rekindled, Uma Thurman is back—and it’s safe to say, she’s ready to reclaim her place in the action genre once again.