Uma Thurman On Her ‘The Old Guard 2’ Netflix Film And Future Interests

Not many can say that they have starred in some of the most talked-about films of our generation – but actress Uma Thurman can. From Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill: Volume 1 & 2, to even playing the seductive Poison Ivy in the campy Batman & Robin film, Thurman, 55, has never been far from a hot topic with movie lovers.

Today, Thurman returns to her on-screen fighting roots by starring alongside Charlize Theron in The Old Guard 2, which is now streaming on Netflix. A story continuation from the 2020 film, Thurman is introduced in this sequel as Discord, an enigmatic being that turns the world of these immortal crime-fighting mercenaries upside down.

Sitting down with Thurman at the Netflix office in Hollywood, California, I wondered what it was about the previous Old Guard film that made her want to join this production and expand upon the story with a sequel.

Thurman said, “Well, first of all, I think it’s really unusual for a woman to create her own franchise – and to see Charlize do this is – I’m trying to think of any other examples. I’m not coming up with one off-hand – and to see Charlize do this and the sort of groundbreaking action work that she did in the first one, with the beautiful and deep and subtle and fun character work, that there’s sort of a woman’s touch to the drama and a woman’s touch to the powerful action. So, to see her having that blossom into a sequel, one that just excites me as like a peer. I had two [Kill Bill] films in action, but they were shot at once and then they were divided in two. It’s different than achieving something in one and doing so well with it that you have an opportunity to make an entirely separate film.”

Being no stranger to intense fight choreography from her Kill Bill days, how did it feel for Thurman to get back into that training again?

“Honestly, it was really fun. I had a profound and amazing experience making Kill Bill movies and I had left it there, but to go into a room and start learning movement sequences and swinging a practice sword again, I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Thurman not only gets to help lead this ensemble cast of actors alongside Theron in The Old Guard 2, but these Netflix films continue to be directed by female filmmakers, with the first film directed by Gina Prince Bythewood and this sequel directed by Victoria Mahoney. So, what does it mean to Thurman to be a part of an all-around female-led project?

“It’s wonderful. I really enjoyed working with Vic, Victoria. She’s a fantastic, really energetic, powerful woman – and she had real vision. She has incredible style.”

Also speaking briefly with The Old Guard 2 director Mahoney, she said about her interactions with Thurman, “She is a really exceptional human being and I find her fascinating in her wealth of knowledge and her curiosity. She’s a professional and a team player, and I enjoyed every inch of collaborating with her. What was fun about her as Discord is, our discussions primarily were of the same interest. We deeply did not want to have a trope-y antagonist. We were deeply invested in avoiding a caricature.”

Beyond The Old Guard 2, Thurman was also recently seen in the popular Prime Video film, Red, White & Royal Blue, where she played U.S. President Ellen Claremont. During a time in our real world with such divisiveness and a desire for many to find unity somehow, I was curious what Thurman thinks that her on-screen persona, President Claremont, would approach the state of our world today.

Thurman said, “I think she would squelch divisiveness. I think she led with love, but strength – and we’re not seeing that these days. When we were making the Red, White & Royal Blue film, we all kind of sadly nodded that it’s – what was beautiful about making that movie is that there was something of an idealized world in that film, and I think it’s very important to remember that we can have an idealized world. It is not impossible and it can exist between two people, it can exist in a family, it can exist in a community. Hopefully one day, on a larger scale, and I think we all have to know that is possible.”

Now at this stage of her life and career, I was curious if Thurman has noticed her priorities evolving with the stories and characters that she wants to take on most lately.

Thurman said, “I mean, it’s always evolving. That’s one of the interesting things about being an actor is that it’s living with you as you change and learn and grow. It’s always evolving. I think it’s the variety that I feel very privileged to explore that makes my career and my experience as an actress really rich. So yeah, that is my thing. My thing is to kind of do everything. Shake it up all the time.”

Being a popular actor that has remained a constant presence in Hollywood and within the public eye for decades now, I wondered next – Who is Uma Thurman in 2025? What brings the greatest passion and purpose to your days?

“I think actually conquering sort of like false ‘fight or flight’ and learning how to be more peaceful, and like contemplating things from a very kind of thoughtful and settled way, whereas I don’t think I quite had that yet. I’ve kind of attained it and it really gives me purpose.”