Kill Bill producer Lawrence Bender has said he “deeply regrets” the pain Uma Thurman suffered from her crash on the set of the film, but he did not participate in any “cover-up”.
The 47-year-old actress was injured when her car hit a tree on the set of Kill Bill, the hit movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Bender said: “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.
“The safety of the professionals who work on the movies I produce is vital to me and I never want to let anyone down.”
He added: I never hid anything from Uma or anyone else, nor did I participate in any cover-up of any kind – and I never would.”
The producer said he has done his “best” to make sure the star “had all of the answers she had been seeking” after being informed of her feelings about the incident “a few months ago”.
He added: “I have great respect for Uma Thurman, both as an artist and a person, and only wish her well.”
Tarantino, 54, has described Thurman’s crash on the set of the film, on which Harvey Weinstein was an executive producer, as “the biggest regret of my life”.
The director said he had not considered the driving shot on the Mexico set to be a stunt at the time, before Thurman lost control of the Karmann Ghia and crashed into a palm tree.
He previously told US trade website Deadline: “I am guilty, for putting her in that car, but not the way that people are saying I am guilty of it. It’s the biggest regret of my life, getting her to do that stunt. ”
Tarantino said he did the drive himself to test the road was safe but when Thurman did the shot she drove in the opposite direction.