Uma Thurman’s biggest fear as an actor: “It’s one of these check things that psychiatrists do”
Uma Thurman is, in many ways, the epitome of a movie star. Talented, charismatic, good-looking, and instantly recognisable, if you put her on screen, chances are people will come to watch.
Through her work with Quentin Tarantino to her time as Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin to smaller projects like Gattaca and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Thurman has proven time and time again that she has earned her spot at the top.
Another way she’s earned her dues is by putting herself in some frankly terrifying situations for our entertainment. It’s common knowledge that she almost died during the making of Kill Bill during a stunt gone wrong. That still affects her to this day, as she suffers from pain in her neck and knees as a result of the accident, but it turns out there is another line of work that she finds just as terrifying.
During an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night talk show, Thurman described taking a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, for short. The DSM is used as a text by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to standardise the diagnoses of various mental afflictions. Or, as Thurman herself put it, “It’s like one of these check things that psychiatrists do to find out what your neuroses are.” Upon taking the test, she realised that she had certain anxieties around eating, particularly while on camera.
“First of all, you have to do lots of takes,” she said, attempting to explain her position. “Second of all, you don’t pick what’s on the menu, and you have to speak sometimes and swallow, and then you start to worry about choking because you don’t want to be chewing when you say that line.” Maybe that’s why Mia Wallace was so keen to order a milkshake in Pulp Fiction. No chewing required there.
This sounds like Thurman might suffer from deipnophobia, which is a fear of eating in front of other people or in public places. It can be linked to social anxiety and other food-related disorders, or it can manifest entirely on its own. Eating in front of others can be stressful enough without the condition (this is why you should never go for a meal on a first date), so imagine how uncomfortable it must be knowing that millions of people are going to be able to watch you chow down. It’s enough to put one off food entirely.
Thurman revealed that she wanted to get over this hurdle, claiming that a good eating scene was an entry on her career bucket list. Perhaps she should tap up her fellow Tarantino fave Brad Pitt for some tips. The Inglorious Basterds star is widely regarded as the master of on-screen eating, particularly in films like the ‘Ocean’s’ trilogy. If he’s unavailable, then there’s always Kevin Costner, who dices up an apple to perfection in The Bodyguard. Even John Noble’s stomach-turning banquet scene as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is extremely effective, if more than a little disgusting.
Obviously, we wish Thurman all the best in tackling her fear. Conditions like this are no joke and can have serious consequences on people’s lives. Fingers crossed she gets on top of it and we get that career-defining eating scene sooner rather than later.
