Uma Thurman looked every bit the femme fatale when she turned out for the premiere of her new blockbuster Kill Bill in Los Angeles. The statuesque beauty takes the lead role in the hard-hitting flick, which marks Quentin Tarantino's long-awaited return to directing.
In the film Uma plays an assassin out for revenge after her mafia boss tries to bump her off. And her co-star Lucy Liu warned that squeamish movie fans should steer clear of the flick, which critics have described as "ultra-violent".
The only thing deadly about the stars on the red carpet, however, was their sense of style. That and the toned physiques they have all developed after making the kung-fu tribute.
"On a purely physical level, it was exhausting," said Uma. "I really had to work on my arm strength to get through the samurai sword fighting scenes."
Her co-star Vivica Fox meanwhile revealed that her waistline shrunk considerably thanks to her training with Yuen Woo-Ping, the martial arts maestro behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix. "I went from an eight to a four and rediscovered my body" she said.
It seems the challenge was more manageable for Lucy Liu, who is a long-time aficionado of Kali-Eskrima-Silat, better known as knife-and-stick fighting. Other big names punching and kicking their way through the action-packed thriller include Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and Samuel L Jackson.
Quentin Tarantino's return has been a long time coming, as his last movie Jackie Brown was made in 1997. Part of the reason Kill Bill took so long was the director's insistence on waiting 12 months for Uma to give birth to her second child and get back into shape. "You wait for your Dietrich and history will thank you," he said.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
