Director Quentin Tarantino has had two miserable weeks.
Shortly after actress Uma Thurman accused Tarantino of placing her in harm’s way while filming a car crash for “Kill Bill,” audio surfaced of Tarantino defending admitted child rapist Roman Polanski during an interview with Howard Stern in 2003, alleging that then 13-year-old Samantha Geimer “wanted” to have sex with Polanski in 1977.
“He didn’t rape a 13-year-old. It was statutory rape,” Tarantino said, adding, “He had sex with a minor. That’s not rape. To me, when you use the word rape, you’re talking about violent, throwing them down. It’s like one of the most violent crimes in the world. You can’t throw the word rape around. It’s like throwing the word ‘racist’ around. It doesn’t apply to everything people use it for.”
When co-host Robin Quivers pointed out to Tarantino that Polanski drugged Geimer with Quaaludes and alcohol, Tarantino said, “No, that was not the case at all. She wanted to have it and dated the guy.”
“Look,” Tarantino said, “she was down with this.” He called Geimer a “party girl.”
Tarantino has now apologized for making those statements, affirming that Geimer had indeed been raped by Polanski:
I want to publicly apologize to Samantha Geimer for my cavalier remarks on The Howard Stern Show speculating about her and the crime that was committed against her. Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was. Ms. Geimer WAS raped by Roman Polanski. When Howard brought up Polanski, I incorrectly played devil’s advocate in the debate for the sake of being provocative. I didn’t take Ms. Geimer’s feelings into consideration and for that I am truly sorry.
So, Ms. Geimer, I was ignorant, and insensitive, and above all, incorrect.
I am sorry Samantha.
Quentin Tarantino
When the recording surfaced of Tarantino, Geimer told the New York Daily News that his comments were “wrong. I bet he knows it.”
“I’m not upset,” Geimer told the Daily News, “but I would probably feel better if he realizes now that he was wrong, after 15 years, after hearing the facts. Nobody has to be pissed off on my behalf. I’m okay…It’s not a big deal to me what people think. It doesn’t make a difference in my life. I know what happened. I do not need other people weighing in on what it’s like getting raped at 13.”
Tarantino collaborated with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein on every movie since “Pulp Fiction.” When the allegations against Weinstein broke, Tarantino admitted he “knew enough to do more than I did.”