Broede Carmody
Roman Polanski’s rape victim has lashed out at Quentin Tarantino over comments he made during an interview with Howard Stern.
Tarantino made headlines on Wednesday after a 2003 video of him defending Polanski resurfaced amid intense scrutiny over his treatment of actress Uma Thurman.
“He didn’t rape a 13-year-old,” Tarantino said during the bizarre interview. “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.”
The Kill Bill director then went on to defend Polanski by suggesting people were judging him with American morals, instead of European morals, and that the teenager was “down” with the encounter.
Polanski pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of Samantha Geimer in 1977. However, he fled to France to avoid being thrown in jail.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Geimer said she was surprised the Tarantino interview resurfaced and he was misinformed.
“He was wrong,” she said. “I bet he knows it. I hope he doesn’t make an arse of himself and keep talking that way.”
However, Geimer says she bears the Kill Bill director no ill-will and remains a fan of his movies.
“I am not upset, but I would probably feel better if he realises now that he was wrong, after 15 years, after hearing the facts. Nobody has to be pissed off on my behalf. I’m OK.
“I know what happened. I do not need other people weighing in on what it’s like getting raped at 13.”