James Bond star Eva Green has said she feared making A Patriot could have killed her career as she took the stand in a legal battle with White Lantern Films, producer of the doomed British movie.
Green, whose credits include 2006’s Casino Royale and Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City, is suing White Lantern and SMC Speciality Finance for $1 million, the fee she says she is owed due to the collapse of the project in 2019. Green was due to star in and executive produce the pic.
Speaking at the High Court in London, Green said the script for A Patriot was one of the best she had read, and she “really fell in love” with the story, Reuters news agency reported.
“It was very exciting, a role of a soldier, which I have never played before. It was about climate change. It was very dear to my heart,” she told the court, Reuters reported.
In original court filings, Green set out her breach of contract claim against the producers, which included various concerns about the “disorganized and shambolic” pre-production. She claimed that the initial budget of €10M ($10.8M) was halved and was a “hopelessly inadequate amount” to make the film.
White Lantern is defending Green’s claim, alleging that the actress’s conduct was unreasonable and in breach of her contractual obligations, so she is not entitled to her fee.
In written submissions to the court, White Lantern’s lawyers said Green had made demands about production locations and crew. In court on Monday, White Lantern’s lawyers cited email and Whatsapp messages in which Green described one producer as a ‘f****** moron” and the financial backers “a**holes.”
“I wanted to make the most brilliant film possible,” Green told the court.
Green was quizzed by White Lantern’s lawyer Max Mallin about one specific message where she described A Patriot as a “B movie.” Mallin asked whether making a B movie would be detrimental to her career, to which she agreed, telling the court that starring in a B movie could have killed her career.
When asked by Mallin if she would have starred in a “B sh**** movie” — a reference to her messages — for $1 million, she said no. “I don’t care about the money. I love to make good films. It’s my religion,” Green said.
The trial continues and is set to conclude next week.
