‘Kill Bill’ Producer Apologizes To Uma Thurman, Says He ‘Regrets’ Crash But There Was No ‘Cover-Up’

“Kill Bill” producer Lawrence Bender is speaking out following Uma Thurman’s recent interview with The New York Times, detailing the car crash she suffered while filming in 2003. He says while he “deeply regrets” the on-set crash that injured the actress, he insists there was no “cover-up.”

“I deeply regret that Uma suffered the pain she has, both physically and emotionally, for all of these years from the accident that occurred on the set of ‘Kill Bill’,” Bender says in a statement he released on Wednesday to The Hollywood Reporter. “The safety of the professionals who work on the movies I produce is vital to me and I never want to let anyone down.”

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Thurman shared the horrifying video of her hitting a palm tree while behind the wheel on the “Kill Bill” set. The actress says director Quentin Tarantino insisted she drive the car herself for authenticity instead of having  a stunt person do the driving.

The 47-year-old has alleged the footage of her accident was withheld from her for years as part of a “cover-up,” directly laying blame on Bender, producer E. Bennett Walsh and Harvey Weinstein.

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“The cover-up after the fact is UNFORGIVABLE,” Thurman wrote in a statement posted to Instagram this week. “[F]or this I hold Lawrence Bender, E. Bennett Walsh, and the notorious Harvey Weinstein solely responsible. They lied, destroyed evidence, and continue to lie about the permanent harm they caused and then chose to suppress.”

View this post on Instagram

i post this clip to memorialize it’s full exposure in the nyt by Maureen Dowd. the circumstances of this event were negligent to the point of criminality. i do not believe though with malicious intent. Quentin Tarantino, was deeply regretful and remains remorseful about this sorry event, and gave me the footage years later so i could expose it and let it see the light of day, regardless of it most likely being an event for which justice will never be possible. he also did so with full knowledge it could cause him personal harm, and i am proud of him for doing the right thing and for his courage. THE COVER UP after the fact is UNFORGIVABLE. for this i hold Lawrence Bender, E. Bennett Walsh, and the notorious Harvey Weinstein solely responsible. they lied, destroyed evidence, and continue to lie about the permanent harm they caused and then chose to suppress. the cover up did have malicious intent, and shame on these three for all eternity. CAA never sent anyone to Mexico. i hope they look after other clients more respectfully if they in fact want to do the job for which they take money with any decency.

A post shared by Uma Thurman (@umathurman) on Feb 5, 2018 at 10:15am PST

Now, Bender has issued a response, stating, “I never hid anything from Uma or anyone else nor did I participate in any cover-up of any kind – and I never would.”

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Bender also says Thurman’s feelings on the accident were only brought to his attention a few months ago and he shared his concerns with Tarantino to make sure the actress “had all of the answers she was seeking.”

“I have great respect for Uma Thurman, both as an artist and a person, and only wish her well,” he concludes his statement.