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Actress Eva Green has testified in court against a low-budget film she was due to appear in, claiming the project almost “killed [her] career”.
The star of Bond film Casino Royale and TV series Penny Dreadful, 42, has launched a $US1 million (approx. $1.4 million) lawsuit against White Lantern Films over a failed film called A Patriot.
Green was set to star in the film, which crumbled in 2019 after it failed to secure production finance.
When Green originally signed on for the film, which was to be directed by British director Dan Pringle, the budget was stated as US$10 million (approx. $14.2 million).
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Green alleges that as the film’s producers struggled to obtain funding for the project, the budget was slowly decreased without her knowledge.
In the London High Court on Monday, a barrister representing Green claimed White Lantern film now wants to paint the actress as a “diva” to damage her reputation.
The production company claims Green made “unreasonable” demands as an actress in the project and pulled out, and are consequently rejecting her request for a payout.
Yet Green argues she is owed the fee of $1.4 million as a “pay or play” provision, which guarantees an agreed payment to an actor even if the film is never made.
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During the civil trial, expected to last eight days, WhatsApp messages sent by Green have been revealed, which show her calling the film’s executive producer Jake Seal “the devil” and “evil”.
When asked about other messages, in which she describes someone as an “inexperienced, pretentious moron”, she told the court: “I’m probably talking about [producer] Adam [Merrifield] at the time, but it was an emotional response, I felt betrayed.”
Green said she withdrew from the film after budget cuts forced filming to move from Ireland to the UK, something she alleged she was “lied to” about.
She also cited “chaotic” preparations and corner-cutting by producers, which she alleges resulted in the “extremely dangerous” reduction of her stunt training, and the crew being paid “significantly” below industry rates.
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The court also touched on WhatsApp messages in which Green referred to the film’s crew as “peasants”.
When asked about a reference to crew members as “peasants… from Hampshire”, she replied, “I have nothing against peasants.
“I didn’t want to work with a sub-standard crew. I wanted to work with a high-quality crew who just wanted to be paid standard industry rates.”
During the trial, the defence questioned Green on her dislike of the project and its status as a “B-movie”.
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Green supported the notion she didn’t want to take part of a “B-movie” because of the impact it could have on her reputation.
To this she said: “When an actor has appeared in a B-movie you are labelled as a B[-movie] actor and never get quality work again…It could kill my career.”
Though the actress did note: “I don’t care about the money. I live to make good films, it’s my religion.
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