Actress Sues James Cameron for Stealing Likeness for 'Avatar'
Rolling Stone • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Indigenous actress Q’orianka Kilcher has filed a lawsuit against James Cameron and Disney, alleging they stole her likeness to create the Avatar character Neytiri without her consent.
- The lawsuit claims Cameron used Kilcher’s facial features from a published photograph as the basis for Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldaña in the Avatar films, without credit or compensation.
- Kilcher alleges Cameron exploited her biometric identity and cultural heritage to build the highly successful Avatar franchise, which grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide with the first film.
- Kilcher first met Cameron after the original Avatar’s release and was shown a sketch of Neytiri, with Cameron acknowledging her as an inspiration, but she only discovered the use of her likeness years later through a social media interview.
- Cameron recently released the third Avatar film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and is currently promoting a live 3D concert film co-directed with Billie Eilish.
