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Pocahontas actor sues James Cameron for ‘exploiting’ her face to create Avatar character
The Independent • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Q’orianka Kilcher, who portrayed Pocahontas in 2005’s The New World, is suing Avatar director James Cameron, alleging he based the character Neytiri’s appearance on her image without permission or compensation.
- Kilcher claims Cameron used a photograph of her as the basis for Neytiri’s design, resulting in a lucrative film franchise that exploited her Indigenous identity without credit.
- She only learned of this inspiration in 2010 when Cameron gifted her a signed sketch of Neytiri, acknowledging her beauty as early inspiration but never offering her a role in the Avatar series.
- The lawsuit accuses Cameron of deliberately using Kilcher’s biometric identity and cultural heritage for commercial gain and seeks damages, profit disgorgement, injunctive relief, and public disclosure.
- Cameron reportedly admitted in an interview that a photo of Kilcher in the LA Times was the source for Neytiri’s facial features.
