That loophole was embodied when legendary filmmaker Tarantino created Kill Bill, a now iconic film that was (in part) inspired by the works of veteran actress (and star of Everything Everywhere All at Once) Yeoh. In fact, Yeoh and Tarantino have enjoyed a long friendship that appears to have enriched both of their careers. But apparently, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll automatically collaborate on everything, as Tarantino told Town and Country.

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That was evidently the case when it came to the beloved action movie duology Kill Bill. Given the subject matter and how both Thurman and Tarantino took inspiration from Yeoh during its production, it would have made a lot of sense to feature Yeoh herself in the film in some capacity. But in a recent interview with Town and Country, she revealed Tarantino’s reason for not casting her. “I asked Quentin the same question,” she said when asked the burning query. “He’s very smart. He said, ‘Who would believe that Uma Thurman could kick your ass?’”

As funny as the answer was, it does make sense, especially given how prolific Yeoh has been in martial arts movies over the years. It also clearly didn’t come from a place of ill will on Tarantino’s part, as the two friends have offered each other help many times throughout the time they’ve known each other. He even helped encourage her to keep going after a rather destructive injury on the set of 1996’s The Stunt Woman, as he was also in Hong Kong at the time screening his film Pulp Fiction.

Feeling dejected after the injury, Yeoh was almost ready to give up. But Tarantino’s rather infectious enthusiasm helped her realize she still wanted to keep doing what she was doing. “I must say, Quentin, he’s persistent. He is who he is today because he’s full of passion and love, so he wore me down,” Yeoh said of their meeting. “Suddenly we became animated. So then I thought, Maybe I’m not ready to give up on this.” She did return to work, and it was also partially thanks to Tarantino’s encouragement that she finally made her English language film debut in 1997’s James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies.

It seems clear that Yeoh and Tarantino have a lot to be thankful to each other for. What would things have been like for both of their careers if they hadn’t met? Frankly, even the very thought of it sounds terrifying. Some friendships were meant to be.

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Source: Town and Country