Diane Kruger's Complex Relationship With Quentin Tarantino Explained

Quentin Tarantino has had a successful career as a screenwriter and director in Hollywood, but it has also come with its fair share of controversy. The "Pulp Fiction" creator has long been criticized for glamorizing violence and using inappropriate racial slurs in films, but Tarantino has also found himself in hot water over his treatment of female actors. In February 2018, a few months after the #MeToo movement went viral, Uma Thurman accused Tarantino of forcing her to do a stunt that resulted in a car crash while filming "Kill Bill," she told The New York Times. "The steering wheel was at my belly and my legs were jammed under me. I felt this searing pain and thought, 'Oh my God, I'm never going to walk again,'" Thurman detailed.

A public outcry ensued. Tarantino defended his actions, telling Deadline that Thurman agreed to do the stunt. "I didn't force her into the car. She got into it because she trusted me. And she believed me," Tarantino said. (Simultaneously, he revealed his regret about the scene.) Thurman also accused Tarantino of using his power to inject sadism in some scenes, like spitting on her and choking her with a chain. The latter allegations were strengthened by Tarantino's previous choking of Diane Kruger in "Inglourious Basterds" (in which the director himself acted as the aggressor in the choking scene with Kruger, rather than the actor playing the role). 

Around the time, Kruger jumped to Tarantino's defense, sharing on Instagram she'd agreed to do the scene. Now, Kruger is revealing what she had to face to even be in the film, indicating her relationship with Tarantino is more complex than previously thought.

Quentin Tarantino employed every mechanism within reach to keep Diane Kruger from portraying Bridget von Hammersmark in his 2009 Nazi war film "Inglourious Basterds," she said on a January 11 episode of the "Reign with Josh Smith" podcast (via the Daily Mail). "He didn't want to audition me because he saw a movie that I was in that he didn't like ... And literally the only reason he auditioned me is because there was no one left to audition," Kruger said. 

To snag the opportunity, Kruger flew from New York to Germany out of pocket because Tarantino refused to meet with her. Kruger characterized Tarantino's prejudice against her as "unfair," but noted the experience taught her to go after her goals despite the obstacles. "I had to jump through all these hoops that definitely put my nose out of joint, but I was like, 'You know what, f**k him,'" she said.

Kruger's comments might sounds strange considering she defended Tarantino after the Uma Thurman accusations. Kruger wrote in a February 2018 Instagram post that working with the director was "pure joy." "He treated me with utter respect," Kruger further noted. But Kruger told Smith she understood why the director had been so harsh prior to meeting her, suggesting she holds no grudge. "I think that for him that must have been a lesson, sometimes I'm sure I'm guilty of that too, you put people in boxes," she said.