Uma Thurman is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Though she has worked on a number of extremely notable projects like Red, White and Royal Blue, Batman and Robin, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Dangerous Liaisons, her most iconic works have to be those with the legendary director, Quentin Tarantino, including The Kill Bill film series, and Pulp Fiction. She has also been awarded a number of accolades, including being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in the 1994 film, Pulp Fiction.
One would expect, as famous and successful as the actress is, she would have no trouble getting a role in any film based on her skills. This, however, hasn’t always been the case as the actress was rejected from a part because of the immensely respected actor, Tom Hanks, who thought her acting skills weren’t good enough.
Uma Thurman Stunned Tom Hanks
Uma Thurman auditioned for the role of Maria Ruskin in the 1990 film, The Bonfire of the Vanities, starring A-list stars like Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Kirsten Dunst. The actress was asked to audition for this role by director, Brian De Palma, who thought that she was perfect for the role. While he was extremely confident about her capabilities, the same could not have been said for Hanks, who was concerned about the actress’s age, with her being 19 at the time.
“She’s quite attractive, almost erotic. She certainly had a sense of play.”
Despite this, De Palma had the two do a screen test with each other, performing a scene from the film where her character had to seduce Hanks after an accident. Journalist Julie Salamon, revealed this information in her 2002 book, The Devil’s Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco, talking about the fact that the actress was so good that she left the Oscar-winning actor stunned, feeling hot and bothered after her performance.
Tom Hanks Had A Change Of Heart
One would wonder that if Uma Thurman was so perfect to play the role of Maria Ruskin, why was she not cast in it? The reason for this had everything to do with Tom Hanks. After her audition, it seemed that she had the role on lock, only requiring her to do a formal screen test with the pair for the director, Brian De Palma. However, when this time came, Hanks had a complete change of heart.
“I just can’t act with Uma,” he said about the actress, adding that her acting was better suited for a “high school play”
The Oscar-winning actor confessed that all of a sudden, he found Thurman’s acting skills only fit for a high school play, which can be easily one of the biggest insults to give an actor. He then stated that he could not work with her anymore, reinforcing this in the screen test, where he gave a below-average performance. The role ended up going to Melanie Griffith after this, best known for her work in projects like Lolita, Working Girl, and Milk Money.
