Actress Sues James Cameron, Claims "Avatar" Character Based on Her Likeness

A lawsuit filed by actress Q’orianka Kilcher against filmmaker James Cameron and The Walt Disney Company alleges that Kilcher's likeness was used without her consent to create the character Neytiri in the blockbuster film "Avatar." Kilcher, who starred as Pocahontas in Terrence Malick's "The New World" at age 14, claims that Cameron based Neytiri's appearance on her facial features after seeing a photograph of her in a Los Angeles Times advertisement for the film.

“

Det er dybt foruroligende at høre, at mit ansigt, da jeg var en 14-årig pige, blev taget og brugt uden min viden eller samtykke til at skabe et kommercielt produkt, der har skabt enorm værdi for Disney og Cameron

According to Variety and The Guardian, Kilcher's legal team presented evidence including a sketch allegedly drawn and signed by Cameron in 2010, presented to Kilcher as a gift. The accompanying handwritten note reportedly stated, "Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. It was a shame you were busy filming another movie. Next time." Kilcher expressed her distress, stating in a press release, "It is deeply disturbing to hear that my face, as a 14-year-old girl, was taken and used without my knowledge or consent to create a commercial product that has generated enormous value for Disney and Cameron."

“

Din skønhed var min tidlige inspiration til Neytiri. Det var ærgerligt, at du var i gang med optagelserne til en anden film. Næste gang,

Further bolstering Kilcher's claim, court documents reportedly include a clip from a television interview where Cameron allegedly identified a photo of Kilcher from The Los Angeles Times as the "real source" and "early inspiration" for Neytiri, noting her "very interesting face." "Avatar," with its nearly $3 billion box office gross, is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Neither James Cameron nor Disney has yet commented on the lawsuit, leaving the public to await their response to these serious allegations.

“

Den egentlige kilde til dette var et billede i The Los Angeles Times, en ung skuespiller ved navn Q’orianka Kilcher. Dette er rent faktisk hendes … det nederste af hendes ansigt. Hun havde et meget interessant ansigt