The Academy Awards may be the highest form of accolade in Tinseltown. But to get one’s name etched on the tiny golden statuette takes a lot, sometimes even a performance that Oscar overlooks. Every year, when Hollywood straps in for the Oscars, tabloids run into the Academy’s archives while fans lament the what-could-have-been Academy moments. However, this time, the source of frustration was not a relentless Reddit thread or critics who would not back down, but Charlize Theron, who could not help but rave about Uma Thurman’s performance in a Quentin Tarantino flick.
While showbiz has always been a thin ice, what made Theron go all out for Thurman this time?
In Charlize Theron’s eyes, Uma Thurman’s yellow was meant for Oscar gold
In a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live
amid the press tour for Netflix’s The Old Guard 2
, Charlize Theron extolled
Uma Thurman, whom she faces against in the action sequel. Speaking of her action muse, referring to Quentin Tarantino’s K— Bill: Volume 1
and K— Bill: Volume 2
, Thurman, Theron said, “When I came into the action world, she was really, to me, like the sensei.”
Upon being asked whether Thurman deserved an Oscar, Theron did not flinch
, saying, “A hundred percent.”
Charlize Theron talking about Uma Thurman! pic.twitter.com/Fjw8Xc13UF
— Charlize Theron Daily (@dailytheron) May 9, 2025
The Hancock
star continued that men in showbiz earn a lot of praise for these kinds of movies. But what Thurman accomplished in the K— Bill
movies was completely a class apart. The K— Bill
movies were released in 2003 and 2004 and are currently streaming on Netflix
, while Theron’s action career pivoted with the 2005 flick Æon Flux.
Although landing a movie opposite Thurman was Theron’s action dream come true, she had her fair share of concerns moving forward with the Netflix flick.
In fact, the roadblock was less of a concern, and more of a fear, going against the action queen, Uma Thurman.
Of horror and terror: When Charlize Theron feared working opposite Uma Thurman in The Old Guard 2
During her recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live
between the press tours of Netflix’s The Old Guard 2,
the host and Charlize Theron were busy fanboying and fangirling for Uma Thurman. Yet, there came a point when Theron admitted that she was “scared”
to go up against the Pulp Fiction
actress in the Netflix sequel. Theron acknowledged that Thurman had been such an action icon. From the day Theron jumped into action movies, working with the Prime
actress has been a dream.
📸 NEW | charlize theron and uma thurman on the set of “the old guard 2” pic.twitter.com/Oz1lUARUDT
— best of charlize theron (@badpostcharlize) June 27, 2022
“It’s always been Uma Thurman. Always,”
Theron doubled down. Thus, the apprehension makes all the more sense because clearly she remains star-struck. For those unaware, The Old Guard 2
is scheduled for a Netflix release on July 2, 2025. Serving as a sequel to the first film, the Netflix flick stars Theron, Thurman, KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Vân Veronica Ngô, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Henry Golding.
Read More: ‘Dexter: Resurrection’: Writer Hints at More Major Cast News, Following Uma Thurman Update
What do you think of Charlize Theron’s praise for Uma Thurman’s Oscar-deserving performance? Let us know in the comments below!