Uma Thurman goes no holds (ballet) barred in 'Pretty Lethal'

Uma Thurman goes no holds (ballet) barred in 'Pretty Lethal'

Uma Thurman stars as a villainous former dancer in the new Prime thriller "Pretty Lethal," which begins streaming Wednesday, March 25th.

Although Uma Thurman features in one of the most iconic dance scenes in film history — cutting a rug with John Travolta in "Pulp Fiction" — the actress says in reality, she’s not a trained dancer.

"I was a failed baby dancer," laughs the Academy Award-nominated actress. "I grew very, very, very tall when I was very, very, very little and I just sort of grew right out of my ballet class."

But Thurman is set to fool audiences again in the bloody new thriller "Pretty Lethal," which begins streaming exclusively on Prime Video Wednesday, March 25th.

"Pretty Lethal" centers on a group of ballerinas stranded in a dangerous Hungarian inn, forced to use their brutal ballet training to defend themselves against a shady gang of criminals. Thurman plays the hotel’s owner — a villainous former dancer — in a no-holds-barred performance.

"Thank God I had Vicky [Jewson], who I trust implicitly and is a brilliant director, because that could have been a real mess," says the actress of her over-the-top work. "There was kind of no way around it, you know? It’s kind of like going on a bear hunt: ‘Can’t under it, can’t go over it, gotta go through it.’"

To prep for the film, Jewson visited with real dancers from The Royal Ballet in London.

"I challenged these prima ballerinas to tussle with some stuntmen, just to see what would happen. And I very quickly learned that ‘Ballet-Fu’ could exist," says the director.

"Pretty Lethal" also stars Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, and Maddie Ziegler as the ballerinas fighting for their lives. Click here for more information on the film.