Eva Green has won her case in London’s High Court against UK production company White Lantern over the collapse of low-budget sci-fi film A Patriot.
The actress sued the company for her £810,000 fee after the project was abandoned in 2019, arguing she had a “pay or play” contract.
White Lantern and lender SMC Speciality Finance bought a counter-claim against her, alleging she deliberately undermined the film’s production and that her conduct during production violated this contract.
In a judgment today (April 28), Judge Mr Justice Michael Green ruled Green was entitled to her fee and dismissed the counter-claim.
According to The Press Association, he said: “I find that Ms Green did not renounce her obligations under the artist agreement; nor did she commit any repudiatory breaches of it.”
In a message on Instagram, Green described the case as “more painful and damaging than I can say”.
She said: “In this legal action I was forced to stand up to a small group of men, funded by deep financial resources, who tried to use me as a scapegoat to cover up their own mistakes. I am proud that I stood up against their bully-boy tactics. They made false allegations about me in public court documents which the Judge has now shown are totally incorrect.”
Green also hit out at previous reporting on the case: “A few people in the press were only too delighted to re-print these lies without proper reporting. There are few things the media enjoys more than tearing a woman to pieces. It felt like being set upon by hounds; I found myself misrepresented, quoted out of context and my desire to make the best possible film was made to look like female hysteria. It was cruel and it was untrue.”
Her full statement is below.
Financing for the film began to fall apart in 2019. During the case, Green claimed that the production was and “disorganised and shambolic” and expressed concerns about cuts to the film’s budget. Director Dan Pringle had made one preivous film, the crime thriller K-Shop.
In text messages read out in court, Green also described executive producer Jake Seal as a “sociopath” and “a real mad dictator who wants to prove he is right so he could be ready for anything”, and described potential crew members as “shitty peasants”.
In their counter claim, White Lantern claimed Green made “unreasonable demands” during the production and had shown a “categorical and unequivocal refusal to perform”.
Eva Green’s statement
Today, after a lengthy legal battle, I’ve won my case in The High Court in London. The case has been widely misreported in the press and I’d like to take this opportunity to make my own personal statement.
I have won my claim against the financiers of the proposed film – and all the allegations which they made against me have been wholly rejected by the Judge. My professional reputation has been upheld. The Judge has found that I was never in breach of my contractual obligations. The judgement is clear. I am grateful to the Court, to the Judge, to my legal team and to my valiant agent who is my strength and my shield.
In this legal action I was forced to stand up to a small group of men, funded by deep financial resources, who tried to use me as a scapegoat to cover up their own mistakes. I am proud that I stood up against their bully-boy tactics. They made false allegations about me in public court documents which the Judge has now shown are totally incorrect. A few people in the press were only too delighted to re-print these lies without proper reporting. There are few things the media enjoys more than tearing a woman to pieces. It felt like being set upon by hounds; I found myself misrepresented, quoted out of context and my desire to make the best possible film was made to look like female hysteria. It was cruel and it was untrue.
As a result of this case, the cat’s well and truly out of the bag that I am mildly terrified of public speaking, that I don’t understand technical financial structures, that I am fragile in the face of aggression, that I’m passionate about my work and that my heart breaks when people are unkind. I’m also the kind of person who escapes through the back door at parties and is happiest at home alone with my dogs. But, most importantly, I want to add that I’m also at my happiest when I’m making the films that I love and that I believe in, working side by side with brilliant crews in the UK and overseas. Therefore, the deliberate misreporting by some of the press has amplified the pain to a huge degree and has been more painful than I can say.
I fought tooth and nail to defend the beautiful film that I loved and had signed on for. A film that spoke of a cause I hold dear – climate change and warned of the resource wars and mass migration that would occur if we don’t address the problem.
I stood my ground, and this time, justice prevailed.
I wish I could say that this ordeal has made me stronger, better, wiser. But to have my personal life dragged through the press and the court was more painful and damaging than I can say. Which is why I want to thank those kind people who, when I was being vilified by the press, supported me, on social media and on other platforms. It was a great comfort to me to know that I wasn’t alone and it helped to know that so many people could see through the legal tricks, the PR and the spin.
I promise with all my heart, I will always strive to deserve the kind support that you have given me.
Thank you.
Eva x
No comments yet