The Gone with the Wind star, who turns 101 today, filed the suit at the LA County Superior Court yesterday, claiming that they used her identity without her permission and portrayed her in a “false light”.
Feud: Bette and Joan is an eight-part FX miniseries which premiered in March, centring on the vicious rivalry between Hollywood icons Bette Davis (played by Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange).
The show was billed to be documenting real events in Hollywood history, however, de Havilland stated that she was never consulted or asked for permission to use her identity in the series.
Her suit also claims that Catherine Zeta-Jones’ portrayal of her showed the actress “in a false light to sensationalize the series”.
“Miss de Havilland was not asked by FX for permission to use her name and identity and was not compensated for such use,” her lawyer told The LA Times. “Further, the FX series puts words in the mouth of Miss de Havilland which are inaccurate and contrary to the reputation she has built over an 80-year professional life, specifically refusing to engage in gossip mongering about other actors in order to generate media attention for herself.”
The legal representative added: “A living celebrity has the right to protect her name and identity from unauthorized, false, commercial exploitation under both common law and the specific ‘right to publicity’ statute in California.”
The To Each His Own star was a close friend of Davis and had a front-row seat to the drama that unfolded between her and Crawford during their 30-year cat fight.
She even stepped in to replace Crawford when she pulled out of 1964 movie Hugh… Hugh, Sweet Charlotte due to her ongoing fight with her rival.
Feud opens with a scene featuring Zeta-Jones giving an interview directly to the camera in character as de Havilland as she discusses the relationship between Crawford and Davis.
“All statements made by Zeta-Jones as Olivia de Havilland in this fake interview are completely false,” de Havilland’s lawyer told The Hollywood Reporter. “Some inherently so; others because they were never said.
“FX defendants did not engage in protected First Amendment speech in putting false words into the mouth of Olivia de Havilland in a fake interview that did not occur and would not have occurred,” she added.
Express.co.uk has contacted a representative of Olivia de Havilland asking for comment.
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