Abigail Breslin said Aaron Eckhart allegedly behaved so aggressively on the set of the movie they recently co-starred in that she was afraid to be alone with him, according to a new lawsuit obtained by The Times.
The filing said Breslin allegedly refused to be alone with Eckhart on the set of their upcoming action thriller.Classified.” Breslin plays a British MI6 analyst who is also the long-lost daughter of a CIA operative played by Eckhart.
Now Dream Team Studios and WM Holdings are suing the “Little Miss Sunshine” star for breach of contract, claiming what they call “outlandish” accusations from Breslin cost the project $80,000. The completed film also faces potential “delivery issues” because, according to the suit, it has “few scenes” in which Breslin and Eckhart appear together.
The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles, claims the Oscar-nominated “Sure, Maybe” actress raised her concerns about conditions on set earlier this year. According to court documents, she wrote a letter to SAG-AFTRA “expressing her fears and blasting Mr. Eckhart’s conduct.”
“The entire production nearly ground to a halt when Breslin advised the production of Eckhart’s aggressive, demeaning and unprofessional behavior, which he insisted put her in danger at various times,” the lawsuit said. “In order for the production to continue, among other things, Breslin refused to be alone in many scenes with Eckhart, and costly adjustments had to be made by the production to meet Breslin’s demands, otherwise Breslin would not continue to fulfill her contractual obligations. liabilities”.
Plaintiffs still do not know whether Breslin confronted Eckhart about the alleged abuse before she raised production concerns and contacted her union, the complaint said.
Reps for Eckhart and Breslin did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment. However, a spokesman for Breslin said Rolling rock that Breslin “is not aware of any lawsuit against her and has not been served with any legal notice. Ms. Breslin vehemently denies all allegations and unequivocally stands by her confidential statement to SAG.”
According to the lawsuit, the film’s on-set producer, identified as “Mr. Georgiev,” conducted an investigation into Breslin’s claims. It found no evidence of aggressive behavior by Eckhart, the suit said, and the plaintiffs claimed Breslin’s accusations were “wild, hysterical and fanciful.”
The plaintiffs further allege that Breslin has since requested “additional money over and above her contract fee” to sign a final agreement. Without Breslin’s signature, the film apparently cannot be distributed and the producers cannot claim tax credits in Malta, where “Classified” was shot in February and March of this year. According to the complaint, the concealment of Breslin’s signature “completely jeopardized the financial well-being of the production, including entering into distribution agreements and delivery under the terms of existing distribution agreements.”
The plaintiffs are seeking $80,000 in actual damages, plus punitive damages.
In 2016, Eckhart detailed his acting process BAFTA teacher.«Going into the first day of filming, I know that the script backwards and forwards, not just my part, everyone’s part, so when I go on set, I can let it all go and be free. It’s no good knowing me, Aaron, because that’s not going to help the movie,” he said.
“If I’m working with a kid and I’m playing his father, then from the moment I meet him I’m my character,” he continued. “If it’s a woman — a love interest — I do the same thing with that. I mean, obviously I’m not overstepping the mark. But if I’m bad and this guy has to hate me, I’ll make him hate me. I will play little games with them. You know? I just feel like it’s the little moments that audiences are looking for — if you want those moments and you want real physical energy, you really have to play those kinds of psychological games with people.”
“Classified” is directed by Los Angeles-based director Roel Reiné, who is Dutch and also directed Paramount’s “HALO,” Starz’s “Black Sails” and Netflix’s “Fistful of Vengeance.” The new film combines an international espionage story with a father-daughter relationship story.
