Perhaps Eva Green is one of our favorite female leads from the James Bond franchise, and she was undoubtedly the best part of the unfortunate series Penny Dreadful. But perhaps her most profitable, at least monetarily, involvement with the film industry is in the courts, away from the sets. The failed science fiction project A Patriot led her to win one million dollars in damages to her career.
The Enigma of A Patriot
Despite aiming to become a science fiction blockbuster, A Patriot never took off. In fact, there is so little information available about the film that it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia entry. The premise promised to take viewers to a dystopian future, where an authoritarian state isolates itself from a world ravaged by climate chaos and resource wars. Alongside Green in the cast were renowned actors like Helen Hunt and Charles Dance, known for his role as Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones. However, things didn’t end particularly well.
Eva Green in Penny Dreadful
The relationship between Eva Green and the production of A Patriot was incredibly complicated and ultimately contentious. According to Variety, Jake Seal, the film’s producer, accused director Dan Pringle of being an “inexperienced” professional and being “starstruck” by Green’s presence. This led the production team, according to Seal, to be reluctant to control the actress, who expressed her discontent through messages that later came to light during the trial, as our colleagues at Espinof recall. In private conversations, Green didn’t hold back in describing her experience with the project: “this is a B-movie crap” and referred to Seal as an “idiot” and “pure vomit”.
During the early stages of production, tensions among the key production figures escalated. During the trial, it became clear that the actress had significant reservations about the production. Green felt “bewildered” by the team’s lack of preparation, leading her to believe the film was doomed to fail. In her messages, she not only criticized the lack of organization but also expressed concern about how the film could affect her career if it failed. Green stated that “an actress who has appeared in a B-movie is labeled as a B-movie actress, never offered a quality job again.”
Eva Green and Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
In The Spotlight of the Courts
The conflict escalated into a legal battle, where Eva Green sued White Lantern Ltd, the company behind A Patriot, for her one million dollar salary. According to the contract she had signed, Green argued that she was entitled to receive her compensation, regardless of whether the film was made or not. On the other hand, the producers countersued the actress, claiming that she was the reason behind the project’s collapse, triggering a series of unpleasant accusations and counter-accusations.
After three years of intense legal disputes, the judge ruled in favor of Green, dismissing the producers’ claims. During the trial, the judge also made comments on the nature of Green’s messages and how she described her production colleagues, shedding light on the tense atmosphere surrounding the project. Despite Seal’s aggressiveness and condescension during the trial, the judge did not find that Green had breached the contract, concluding that her demands were not excessive.
Eva Green in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Despite her victory in court, Eva Green’s career has not had the same shine in recent years. Although her talent as an actress is undeniable, since 2012 she has been involved in projects of lesser notoriety and success. Her performances in series and movies have not managed to capture the audience’s attention in the same way as her early leading roles.
This career shift raises the question of whether the incident with A Patriot, which was supposed to be released in 2021, has truly left an indelible mark on her professional trajectory. In any case, today you can enjoy Green’s impressive talent in her iconic role as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale alongside Daniel Craig as 007 on Prime Video.
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