Uma Thurman is so well-known for her iconic killing sprees in Kill Bill that it's easy to forget she started out in far less blood-pumping roles. Thurman was once a fashion model, before landing a series of roles in films that disappointed at the box office. Then in 1991, she was Maid Marian in Robin Hood, and Fantine in the 1998 version of Les Miserables. She got her big break in Pulp Fiction, playing the zoned-out girlfriend of a gangster. Her career dipped after the birth of her first child, and it wasn't until landing Kill Bill - another role at Tarantino's hand - that she became an action icon. In her first sword-swinging outing, her lack of mercy is summed up with a single quote: "It was not my intention to do this in front of you. For that I'm sorry. But you can take my word for it... your mother had it comin'. When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I'll be waiting." The same cold, passive persona that critics derided early in her career became just another weapon in her merciless hands. Kill Bill relaunched her career. Now she's played a superhero, the Greek monster Medusa, and you can expect to see more heads rolling if Kill Bill 3 every decides to swing around.
Mike Revell is the author of STONEBIRD (Quercus, 2015), and is an award-winning journalist. He has written for the Mirror and NFL UK. He lives near Cambridge, and has an unhealthy obsession with American football, Doctor Who, and Game of Thrones.
