UMA THURMAN RETURNS TO THE ACTION GENRE IN NETFLIX'S THE OLD GUARD 2

From the vengeful Bride in  Kill Bill  to the enigmatic Mia Wallace in  Pulp Fiction , Uma Thurman has carved an indelible niche in cinematic history, particularly within the action genre. Her collaborations with acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino not only solidified her status as a pop culture icon but also showcased her remarkable ability to blend intense physicality with dramatic depth. 

After a 21-year hiatus from the action genre, Thurman makes a highly anticipated return in  The Old Guard 2 ,  which is now streaming on Netflix. In this eagerly awaited sequel, Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors face a new enemy, Discord (Thurman), one of the oldest immortals who threatens their existence along with the rest of the world. Directed by Victoria Mahoney, the film also stars KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Henry Golding, Vân Veronica Ngô, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli.

This comeback, which Thurman charmingly described as “tickling her pink,” sees her embracing the challenge of new physically demanding roles. The Boston-born actor is celebrated for injecting humanity into even her most dangerous characters – a trait she consciously brought to the “tortured and twisted” antagonist Discord. In this exciting new phase of her career, she has a newfound sense of calm, a tranquility she confesses she’d never experienced before. Her return isn’t just a nostalgic echo of past glories, it’s also a reminder of her enduring talent.

Q&A with Uma Thurman

Congratulations Uma, how did it feel to be returning to the action genre after over 20 years? 

I was excited. I wish I had had more time to practice. It just tickled me pink having kind of not doing any rehashing of my Kill Bill moments and then just tossing them to Charlize. in this finale of her great action epic work. So, it really was fun. And it was kind of perfect because it was challenging, and it was exciting. And, also, she had all the heavy lifting, and I got to see her incredible working style. It was really wonderful. 

Director Victoria Mahoney said that you became a vital part of shaping Discord’s arc and preventing this from being a tropey antagonist. What did you wanna bring to Discord?

I wanted to bring to Discord the same thing I always try to bring to characters, which is humanity. She’s kind of tortured and twisted and dangerous, but she’s coming at it from a slightly broken but passionate once-human heart. What I liked about the first film is that all of the characters were really quite relatable, less so the villain. And I thought in this case that she would be serving the piece best if she was more relatable as a sort of tortured human. 

My favorite scene is that epic fight sequence with you and Charlize and that electric energy was palpable when two iconic female action stars finally battle on screen. Tell me something about that scene that we wouldn’t have guessed from just watching it in that moment play out. 

I mean, those kind of sequences are broken down into a series of movements, whether it’s three or four or five or six or seven, but sometimes only two. But, you break scenes down and into sequences of movement. And Charlize is a great scene partner. She’s unbelievably professional and amazingly hardworking.

To walk in the shoes of the oldest immortal who has perhaps seen it all, lived through all the historic events that humanity’s ever faced, did that weigh on you whilst playing her? 

I think that’s a beautiful depth to meditate on for a character. To imagine someone who’s been observing all of history. I think those of us who are really curious and like to read history and try to imagine it ourselves. It was kind of just like the next level to that sort of historical curiosity. I think that a lot of people enjoy these movies for that reason also. Like, there’s a depth to it and a fascination with that. 

How would you define this current phase of your career?

Honestly, I think I’m finally getting to a more relaxed phase of my career. I was always very, very, high strung and very hard on myself and very driven in some way, even though mostly off screen. But, I think I’m finally feeling a sense of calm that I never felt before. 

There’s that line that you say in the film, ‘Time means nothing until it means everything.’ So what’s the thing you spend most of your time doing for yourself right now? 

I do lots of things. I love being in nature. I’m quite devoted to my family, so I try to spend as much time with my family as possible, as they have for me. And just sort of being well, creatively curious. I read a lot. I try to pay attention to what’s going on in the world and even pray a little bit these days. 

You filmed a portion of the movie in Vancouver. What did you love about the city? 

It’s one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I just love Vancouver. It’s one of the most aesthetically, physically, naturally beautiful cities. I’ve been going there since my teens. I made quite a few different films and worked there. So I’ve spent a good amount of time in Vancouver. I’m very, very fond of it. In one of my dream parallel lives, I live in Vancouver. 

The Old Guard 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

2025-07-02T18:33:33Z