‘It’s very humiliating’: Eva Green tells court she wasn’t expecting WhatsApp messages to be ‘exposed’ in lawsuit
Eva Green has described the “humiliating” experience of having her WhatsApp messages read in court.
The Casino Royale star is currently in the middle of a High Court battle with a production company over the failed sci-fi film A Patriot.
Green, 42, was due to play the lead role in the project, but the production collapsed in October 2019. She is now suing production company White Lantern Film, claiming she is entitled to her $1m (£810,000) fee for the abandoned project despite its cancellation.
White Lantern Film is bringing a counterclaim against the French actor – who was also an executive producer on the project – alleging she undermined the independent film’s production, made “excessive creative and financial demands” and had expectations “incompatible” with the movie’s budget.
Last week, court papers seen by The Guardian showed Green allegedly referring to one of the film’s executive producers, Jake Seal, as a “devious sociopath”, “pure vomit” and “a liar and a mad man”.
During the second day of evidence on Tuesday (31 January), Green was asked about a message in which she called Seal “evil” and said she had to “get out” of the film.
Green denied that she actually intended to withdraw from the project, explaining that she had a “very direct way of saying things”.
“I was not expecting to have my WhatsApp messages exposed in court. It’s very humiliating,” she said.
“Sometimes you say things you don’t mean. You say you hate a person and you say, ‘I’m going to kill this person.’ Are you going to kill this person? No. It’s a cry from the heart.”
Green also referenced comments made by her James Bond co-star Daniel Craig before he signed on to star in his final Bond film, No Time To Die.
“Daniel Craig said, ‘I would rather slash my wrists than do another Bond movie’. He did honour his contract and did another Bond movie and didn’t slash his wrists,” she said.
Later in the day, she denied undermining the production, telling the court: “I didn’t have to do anything to make the film fail… they made it fail on their own with their incompetence.”
Edmund Cullen KC, Green’s barrister, previously told the High Court in London that the case is “designed to paint my client as a diva to win headlines and damage her reputation”.
A ruling on the case is expected at a later date.
Additional reporting by Press Association
