Dame Olivia, 101, sues over Zeta’s TV portrayal of her as a ‘vulgar gossip-monger’
SHE’S one of the last survivors of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
But at the grand old age of 101, Dame Olivia de Havilland hasn’t lost her thirst for a fight.
The British-born actress is suing the producers of a TV drama which she says unfairly portrayed her as a foul-mouthed gossip.
In what could prove a landmark case, the Gone With The Wind star is taking legal action against the FX network and producer Ryan Murphy over her characterisation by Catherine Zeta- Jones in the drama series Feud: Bette and Joan.
Although the series, which was shown on BBC2, focused principally on the toxic rivalry of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, the character of Dame Olivia provides commentary
‘I was deeply offended’
in the drama. She is suing on the grounds FX and Murphy never sought her permission to use her ‘name and identity’ in the series.
The California Court of Appeals will rule later this month whether Dame Olivia can proceed with her lawsuit.
Critics fear it could create a dangerous precedent, stopping film and TV producers from depicting living people without their consent.
Dame Olivia has won two best actress Oscars and her feud with her own sister, Joan Fontaine, provided one of Hollywood’s fiercest ever sibling rivalries. She now lives in Paris.
The actress said she had been interested in how Feud would portray Davis, a friend, but was surprised when friends got in touch to say she was in the series, too. ‘When I learned the Olivia de Havilland character called my sister “a bitch” and gossiped about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford’s personal and private relationship, I was deeply offended,’ she told the New York Times.
She claims that Feud falsely paints her as a hypocrite ‘with a public image of being a lady’ and a private one as a vulgar scandal-monger. The portrayal damages her hard-earned reputation for ‘ honesty, integrity and good manners’.
She particularly takes issue with an Oscar’s night interview in Feud in which her character says Hollywood has loved the Davis-Crawford catfight. Dame Olivia says she never gave any such interview.
Her lawyers say she should, at the least, have been consulted about the drama series in advance.
Feud’s producers note in court papers that Dame Olivia dubbed her sister ‘Dragon Lady’ but they considered ‘bitch’ would be ‘better understood by a modern audience’.
Murphy insists he portrayed Dame Olivia positively – ‘as a wise, respectful friend and counsellor to Bette Davis and a Hollywood icon’.