Los Angeles, May 12 — Academy Award winner Charlize Theron has said that fellow actor Uma Thurman should have won an Oscar for her performance in Quentin Tarantino’s iconic Kill Bill films. Theron made the statement during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, expressing admiration for Thurman’s groundbreaking role as The Bride.
In the two-part martial arts saga Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004), Thurman portrayed a vengeful assassin in one of the most celebrated action performances of the early 2000s. Despite the film’s critical acclaim, Thurman did not receive an Academy Award nomination for the role.
“We knew each other kind of offhand, but I knew her from being a massive fan, just watching her work and always wanting to do something with her,” Theron said. Reflecting on Thurman’s influence, she added, “Because when I came into the action world, she was, to me, like the sensei.”
Theron, who herself won the Best Actress Oscar for Monster in 2003, will share screen space with Thurman in the upcoming action sequel The Old Guard 2. She called Thurman “the OG” of stunt-driven performances and credited her for blazing a trail for women in action cinema.
When host Jimmy Kimmel asked whether Thurman should have won an Oscar for Kill Bill, Theron replied emphatically, “A 100 per cent.” She continued, “I think men get a lot of credit for these movies. What she did in that film was just so unbelievable. And to me, she’s just such a bada**.”
Thurman previously received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Pulp Fiction (1994), also directed by Tarantino. Theron’s comments have reignited the conversation around recognizing female performances in action films, particularly those that push physical and emotional boundaries.
Theron said, “Since I've been in action movies, I'm like, 'Who do I want to work with and do an action sequence with?’ It’s always been Uma Thurman. Always.”