'Feud: Bette and Joan' News: Olivia de Havilland Sues FX for Destroying Her Reputation on the Show
Olivia de Havilland, whose life story was portrayed on FX's drama anthology "Feud", was not pleased by the depiction and is reportedly filing an action against FX and Ryan Murphy Productions.
De Havilland was one of the personalities featured in "Feud: Bette and Joan" which centered on the long-running clash between Hollywood actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. According to The Hollywood Reporter, de Havilland claims that the show tainted her reputation by portraying her as a person who sold gossip to promote her career.
The scene referred to was the one where Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays Havilland in the series, did an interview where she allegedly made statements Havilland never said in real life.
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"[A]ll statements made by Zeta-Jones as Olivia de Havilland in this fake interview are completely false, some inherently so; others false because they were never said," Havilland's lawyer, Suzelle Smith, wrote in a statement. The actress' lawyer added that FX did not engage in protected First Amendment Speech in creating the fake interview that never happened in real life.
Not only did de Havilland take offense with the interview scene, but she also was not pleased by how Zeta-Jones' de Havilland refers to Joan Fontaine as the "bitch sister," a term which is "in stark contrast with de Havilland's reputation for good manners, class and kindness."
De Havilland added that no one consulted her about the events depicted in "Feud." Ryan Murphy, the show's creator, explained in an interview with THR in April that he did not consult with de Havilland because he did not want to be disrespectful.
According to The New York Times, de Havilland and Davis were close friends and appeared in four films together, including "Hush... Hush" and "Sweet Charlotte."
In "Feud: Bette and Joan," de Havilland is a key character that appears in six episodes. She is portrayed as Davis' confidante and played a role in Davis and Crawford's rivalry.
