Being French is no excuse for rudeness, judge tells Bond girl Eva
...but he still awards her £810,000 for a film that was never even made
Eva Green declared her pride at standing up to ‘bully-boy tactics’ yesterday after she won a legal battle over her £810,000 fee for an axed sci-fi film.
The 42-year-old actress became embroiled in a bitter dispute with the makers of a Patriot when it was shut down in 2019.
It led to an extraordinary trial at the High Court last year in which messages from the former Bond girl revealed she had called a producer a ‘moron’ and referred to some crew as ‘peasants’.
Giving evidence, Ms Green blamed her ‘Frenchness’ for the rude messages and insisted she had not renounced her contract, as the production company had alleged.
Mr Justice Michael Green found in the actress’s favour, concluding she was entitled to her fee. He dismissed the counter-claim by producers White Lantern Film and lender SMC Speciality Finances. But the judge also said Ms Green was ‘in some senses a frustrating and unsatisfactory witness’, adding: ‘For such a perfectionist in her art, she was surprisingly under-prepared for her evidence.’
He acknowledged her ‘torment’ at having private texts and Whatsapp messages disclosed in open court, but found claims that her Frenchness explained her rude language ‘were not credible or adequate’.
The judge said Ms Green ‘clearly detested’ executive producer Jake Seal despite meeting him only once, but also conceded that ‘having heard him give evidence’, he could see how it would be possible to fall out with him.
Following the ruling, the actress said: ‘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.’
She said the case had revealed she was ‘mildly terrified of public speaking’ and was ‘the kind of person who escapes through the back door at parties and is happiest at home alone with my dogs’.
The statement continued: ‘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.’
Ms Green, who starred in 007 film Casino Royale, was approached about a Patriot in 2017 and agreed to star in it despite her agent’s misgivings about the inexperience of the production team. Before long, the movie was hitting the buffers and production was moved from Ireland to Hampshire, where Mr Seal was due to take a more central role, much to Ms Green’s frustration.
Ms Green said there was a serious lack of preparation for the film, such as an absence of stunt training.
The court heard from an assistant director who said the proposed studios in Hampshire were ‘like a morgue’ and were ‘an aircraft hangar with leaks and no soundproofing’.
However Ms Green said: ‘If I had been called to set, I would have done this film even though it would have been a disaster.’
Max Mallin KC, for White Lantern and SMC, said Ms Green had instead showed a ‘categorical and unequivocal refusal to perform’.
The court was told during the 11day trial that Ms Green described the production as a ‘B-shitty-movie’ and Mr Seal as ‘pure vomit’ in other private messages.
Ms Green is also said to have described Mr Seal as a ‘sociopath’ and ‘a real mad dictator who wants to prove he is right so he could be ready for anything’.
In his ruling the judge was himself critical of Mr Seal, saying: ‘In giving evidence he was at times patronising, sarcastic and denigrating. I found him to have an innate aggression and can understand why Ms Green and others might have been displeased to be
‘Covering up their own mistakes’
‘Patronising and sarcastic’
told that they had to make the film under his control.’
Despite his misgivings about some of her time in the witness box, the judge concluded the ‘broad thrust’ of her evidence was ‘credible’.
a statement on behalf of White Lantern Film and SMC said: ‘We are naturally disappointed by today’s judgment and the court’s findings. The suggestion Eva Green has made today that this legal action was motivated by or represented gender-based bullying is completely unwarranted. It does not reflect the judgment in any way.’