An actress is currently being sued for at least $85,000 in damages for refusing to do a nude lovemaking scene.
Anne Greene, filed a lawsuit two years against Time Warner, HBO, Cinemax and a production company called True Crime LLC claiming that she was bullied into performing nude sex scenes, sexually harassed, and placed in a dangerous work environment. But, two months prior to the scheduled court date, True Crime has filed a cross-complaint against Greene claiming she breached the “Nudity Rider” contract that she signed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, here is producers’ side of the story:
…the actress “arrived on set, reported to wardrobe on time, but then abruptly refused to report to the set, expressing for the first time, contrary to the express terms of the Employment Agreement and Nudity Rider, that she was not comfortable performing the scene topless or allowing herself to be filmed topless.”
There was a scene where Greene would have to give oral sex and she said that she was not up to doing such a scene. The scene was rewritten for her to simulate sex. She said she would have no problem doing the scene as long as her nipples do not show.
A True Crime rep spoke to her at length in private and asked whether anything could be done to resolve her concerns. Greene allegedly explained that she would have no problem with the scene if she didn’t have to expose her nipples. And so they spoke to wardrobe to see if the actress could be fitted with coverings known as “pasties” to obscure her nipples.
“The True Crime representative knew the ‘Pasties’ would show on film and therefore require True Crime to hire a body double and spend substantial time editing (both at significant unbudgeted expense) just to get the frontal partially nude shots called for in the scene, and would not be compliant with HBO’s policy prohibiting the use of ‘Pasties’ in sex scenes,” say the legal papers. “Nevertheless, the True Crime representative agreed to accommodate Greene’s wishes in order to mitigate and minimize True Crime’s losses.”
Producers allowed for the scene to happen with pasties but, they were pretty upset. True Crime blames Greene for causing “substantial delay and disruption” that caused the company to pay for several actors, filming locations, and script re-writes.
Producers argue that they did the right thing by telling her what to expect and not trying to coerce her, and even trying to make accommodations to her. But, since Greene signed a contract for nude scenes she is liable for breaching contract. “by, among other things, refusing (a) ‘to appear and perform in nude scenes and/or simulated lovemaking scenes’ … ‘as may be determined by the Producer’ and (b) to ‘appear and perform nude in the Program as required by Producer.’ ”
What do you think? Should an actor be forced to film a scene they do not feel comfortable doing even though they sign a contract? Or should an actor know what they are getting themselves into prior to going to set?
Photo Credits: Cinemax.com
