Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against French publisher JC Lattes because the novel The First Thing We Look At makes unauthorized use of her name and likeness.
In the novel written by Gregoire Delacourt, a beautiful woman enters a mechanic shop and the owner’s initial reaction is that she is the famous actress Scarlett Johansson.
Readers discover 60 pages later that the woman is in fact a coincidental look-alike named Jeanine Foucaprez.
According to Yahoo!, Johansson was not amused by the fictional character’s shared resemblance.
She plans to sue the publisher of the novel, JC Lattes, for “breach and fraudulent use of personal rights.” Johansson also wants to stop any future “transfer of rights and adaptations of the book.”
Author Delacourt was reportedly “stunned” at what he considers to be an over-reaction from Johansson.
“It’s a bit silly to say that if you talk about a person, the courts have to get involved. That’s quite sad.”
Delacourt said he also compared two of his characters to Ryan Gosling and Gene Hackman, explaining that “This corresponds with the fantasies of our times. All these famous people live with us.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, The First Thing We Look At explores the “dictatorship of appearances and the true beauty of women.”
Therefore, Delacourt modeled his female character after Johansson because he believes she is the “epitome of beauty today.”
Still, Delacourt defended himself, saying, “But I wrote a book of fiction. My character is not Scarlett Johansson, it is Jeanine Foucaprez!”
Though Johansson wasn’t a fan of the book, The First Thing We Look At is a best-seller in France.