Once upon a time, Uma Thurman was Hollywood's hottest starlet.
After "Pulp Fiction" wowed critics and audiences alike in 1994, Thurman seemed destined for
box office greatness, but that fiercely shining star has dimmed in recent years.
Here's why.
Chances are, the first films that comes to mind when you think of Uma Thurman are "Pulp
Fiction" and "Kill Bill," both written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
Although she had over a dozen credits before "Pulp Fiction," Tarantino's Oscar-winning
crime classic was arguably the film that shot Thurman to stardom.
"Now, I wanna dance.
I wanna win.
I want that trophy.
So dance good."
After its success, she split her time between shooting for Oscar nods with films like "Les
Miserables" in 1998 and working on somewhat more crowd-pleasing but forgettable flicks
like 1996's "The Truth About Cats and Dogs" and 2000's "The Golden Bowl."
In the early 2000s, as her star seemed to be dimming a little, Thurman teamed up with
Tarantino again for the action-packed, revenge-driven "Kill Bill '' films, released in 2003 and
2004 to critical acclaim and box office success.
As with "Pulp Fiction," the movies triggered a surge in Thurman's star status, which again
seemed to fade a little after the film's success died down.
Is Tarantino the key to Thurman's biggest box office success?
He's definitely been a big boost to it, and maybe one day the duo will finally get back
together for the much-discussed "Kill Bill Volume 3."
Thurman fends off hordes of sword-swinging gangsters in "Kill Bill," but in real life,
she's had to deal with something much worse: A child custody battle.
According to TMZ, Thurman's ex Arpad Busson, the father of her youngest child, Luna, dropped
an ultimatum on her in 2016, threatening that if she films a movie, she won't be able to
see Luna anymore.
If there's ever been a reason to turn down a movie role, that's gotta be it, even if
the circumstances aren't your fault.
Earlier in 2016, TMZ also reported that Busson had filed a request with the court to get
more custody of their daughter.
With all that time in front of a judge, it's no wonder Thurman doesn't have many chances
to get in front of a camera.
For years, Uma Thurman has been an outspoken member of a range of charities.
Not only is she a board member for Room to Grow, a charity tasked with helping children
born into poverty, but she's also done advertising work as a spokesperson for USAID, an organization
focused on helping those affected by war, famine, and drought in the Horn of Africa.
In early 2016, the actress also put in face time at an AIDS charity event in Hong Kong.
With all this humanitarian work, who has time to crank out blockbusters?
Though she's certainly had her hits, Uma Thurman's one of those actors who's historically had
a little trouble selling tickets.
Her filmography boasts a handful of films that grossed roughly $100 million or more
during their theatrical runs, but much of her Hollywood history is one of disappointing
financial returns, at least when it comes to leading roles.
While it's true that a number of her movies have been lower-budget efforts that weren't
aiming for blockbuster status, she's also been in a number of high-profile duds, including
"Gattaca," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," and "The Avengers."
That doesn't mean she doesn't have more hits in her, but it definitely could make certain
executives think twice about casting decisions.
Beyond all the celebrity gossip and box office numbers, Thurman is also still a mom to three
children, and anyone who's ever been in that situation knows that, millionaire or not,
it takes a lot of work to raise kids on your own.
By her own account, it's been hectic.
As she told London's The Times in 2009:
"My big wish now is to make a little time for myself.
I think many women, working women, get this.
I mean, how do you justify that hour and a half to yourself?"
Between raising her kids, working, doing charity appearances, and any number of other obligations,
it makes sense that packing her schedule full of movie roles might not be high on Thurman's
list of priorities these days.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Uma Thurman cranked out an average of two feature-length
film projects per year.
With the dawn of the 2010s, though, she began to diversify a little, and take on more small-screen
work.
In recent years she's starred or guest-starred in several TV series, including NBC's 2015
version of "The Slap," six episodes of Bravo's "Imposters," and the short-lived Netflix organ
transplant-based horror series "Chambers."
Thurman is currently in the process of shooting the thriller series "Suspicion," which will
air on Apple TV+.
Thanks to the streaming era, more and more big-screen stars in front of and behind the
camera are using television as a space to explore new stories, and they often win a
lot of acclaim for that work.
Though she hasn't made the leap to TV completely, it's easy to see Thurman aiming for a small-screen
reinvention, and finding fresh, exciting new work in the process.
Though she never entirely left the big screen, and she's still landing roles on the small
screen as well, mass media's not the only place for Uma Thurman to show off her acting
talents.
In recent years, she's also made a return to the stage.
In 2017, she played the lead in "The Parisian Woman," a Broadway production written by "House
of Cards" creator Beau Willimon.
Two years later, she performed the lead role in "Ghosts," penned by 19th century playwright
Henrik Ibsen, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
As she told the Boston Globe at the time:
"Ibsen's work, having studied it in high school a bit, was one of the things that drew me
to want to be an actress.
Ibsen's women are so fascinating and deep and complicated and truly require every scrap
of talent one has to get through them."
Any actor who survives in Hollywood for nearly 40 years is going to have ups and downs in
their career, and Uma Thurman is no different in that regard.
Even if audiences haven't gobbled them all, she's still making films, and her recent output
includes everything from young adult horror story "Down a Dark Hall" to the shocker "The
House that Jack Built" to the R-rated comedy "The War with Grandpa."
None of those films were mega-hits, but Thurman's plainly maintained her staying power, and
it goes beyond just acting.
This is an actor who does charity work, raises her children, speaks out about mistreatment
by everyone from Quentin Tarantino to Harvey Weinstein, and still finds time to deliver
solid acting work along the way.
Even if you don't see Uma Thurman around as much as you used to, one thing's for sure:
She never really went away.
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