Abigail Breslin has alleged fellow actor Aaron Eckhart acted so aggressively toward her on the set of the upcoming thriller Classified that she was afraid to be alone with him, a new lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone reveals.
The Little Miss Sunshine star made the allegations privately earlier this year, and now the film’s production companies have revealed them in a breach of contract lawsuit that names Breslin as the defendant and claims her “specious” accusations cost the project $80,000.
“During the course of production, the entire production almost ground to a halt when Breslin advised the production of Eckhart’s (allegedly) aggressive, demeaning, and unprofessional behavior which she insisted placed her at various times in peril,” the lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court reads.
The complaint, reviewed by Rolling Stone, says the producer plaintiffs still don’t know if Breslin confronted Eckhart about the alleged abuse, but they are aware she wrote a letter to the Screen Actors Guild “setting forth her fears and blasting Mr. Eckhart’s behavior.”
“In order for the production to continue…Breslin refused to be alone in several scenes with Eckhart, and costly accommodations had to be made,” the filing states. (Representatives for Eckhart and Breslin did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent Thursday.)
Plaintiffs Dream Team Studios and WM Holdings say the film’s on-set producer, identified as “Mr. Georgiev,” prepared a report based on a “detailed” investigation that found “no evidence in support of Breslin’s wild, hysterical and imaginary allegations against Eckhart.”
The filing further claims the finished movie now is facing possible “delivery issues” because it has “few scenes” where the two stars appear onscreen together.
The producers also claim Breslin has since “demanded the payment of $35,000 as a condition” of signing her final agreement, which is a requirement for the film’s release and the producers’ ability to claim tax credits in Malta.
The complaint alleges Breslin’s “refusal” to sign “has completely imperiled the financial wellbeing of the production, including concluding distribution agreements and delivering under the terms of existing distribution agreements.” The producers are asking for $80,000 in real damages in addition to punitive damages.
“If she does not (sign her agreement) and delivery can’t be made or the tax credit fails because of her unsigned agreement, the damages will be massive based on the interference claim,” the producers’ lawyer, Jeffrey Konvitz, tells Rolling Stone.
Classified, which also stars Tim Roth, has been billed as an international espionage action flick in which a career CIA hitman (Eckhart) learns from his long-lost daughter (Breslin) that his CIA boss has been dead for years, meaning the orders he’s been receiving from the classified sections of various newspapers have been coming from someone else.
