Eva Green’s lawyer has defended her in court from accusations that she stopped the production of a film because she’s a “diva”.
The 42-year-old star of The Dreamers and Casino Royale was supposed to lead sci-fi film, A Patriot, until production stopped in October 2019.
Green is suing production company White Lantern Films for her €918,000 fee, but the company has countersued claiming that the actor’s “unreasonable demands” are what caused the film to fall apart.
Lawyer Max Mallin says Green had “a vitriolic aversion to making the movie that White Lantern could and would make” based on budget constraints that she willfully ignored.
Mallin’s approach seems to rely on discrediting Green’s reputation.
WhatsApp messages that have already been released as evidence allegedly showing Green calling a team member “evil”, “a devious sociopath,” and “a liar and crazy”, as well as calling production manager Terry Bird “a moron” and “a complete arsehole”.
She also allegedly called the crew «shitty peasants … from Hampshire».
Green’s lawyer has fought back against the allegations. Edmund Cullen claims the actor “bent over backwards” to make the project happen, and that the production company’s argument relies entirely on portraying Green “as a diva in order to make headlines and damage her reputation.”
“She has repeatedly agreed to push back the start of filming. She has agreed to have the production moved from Ireland to the UK. She has repeatedly offered to use part of her fee to fund production costs,” he writes.
Cullen accuses White Lantern Films of wanting to “blacken the name of an actress who has not breached a contract or missed a day of filming during a 20-year career.”
The 11-day trial will continue with Green expected to take to the stand on Monday 30 January.
Video editor • Theo Farrant
