Tarantino Sorry For Saying Polanski's Rape Victim Wanted It

LOS ANGELES, CA — For the second time this week, director Quentin Tarantino found himself apologizing to the victim of a powerful Hollywood figure accused of rape.

On Thursday, the “Pulp Fiction” director apologized to Roman Polanski’s rape victim Samantha Geimer for saying the then 13-year-old wanted it. His 2003 comments from “The Howard Stern Show” resurfaced this week after actress Uma Thurman accused Tarantino of downplaying Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault on her.

Tarantino issued a statement to Indiewire walking back his comments about Polanski’s 1977 rape case.

“I want to publicly apologize to Samantha Geimer for my cavalier remarks on ‘The Howard Stern Show’ speculating about her and the crime that was committed against her,” he wrote. “Fifteen years later, I realize how wrong I was. Ms. Geimer WAS raped by Roman Polanski. When Howard brought up Polanski, I incorrectly played devil’s advocate in the debate for the sake of being provocative. I didn’t take Ms. Geimer’s feelings into consideration and for that I am truly sorry. So, Ms. Geimer, I was ignorant, and insensitive, and above all, incorrect. I am sorry Samantha.”

In 2003, Tarantino went on “The Howard Stern Show” and defended Polanski, saying, “He didn’t rape a 13-year-old. It was statutory rape. 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.”

When Stern argued that a grown man should know it’s a crime to have sex with a child, Tarantino replied, “Look, she was down with this.”

The website Jezebel publish the 15-year-old comments after Thurman gave an interview to The New York Times, alleging Weinstein pushed her down and tried to force himself on her and that Tarantino seemed to downplay the attack after she told him about it.

Tarantino publicly apologized to Thurman on Tuesday.

Tarantino drew praise and criticism in October when he apologized for work working with Weinstein even though he knew that Weinstein harassed actresses.

“I knew enough to do more than I did,” he told The New York Times in October. “There was more to it than just the normal rumors, the normal gossip. It wasn’t secondhand. I knew he did a couple of these things. I wish I had taken responsibility for what I heard. If I had done the work I should have done then, I would have had to not work with him.”

Photo: AP Photo/Francois Mori