BTG
Washington
Scarlett Johansson has won damages against an author whose book features a promiscuous character resembling the actress. The Avengers star was awarded compensation after taking action against French writer Gregoire Delacourt over his novel The First Thing We look at. Delacourt was ordered to pay £2,000 for his ‘hurtful and demeaning’ depiction of a female lookalike, reported the Telegraph.
Scarlett, 29, had initially been seeking £40,000 in damages for the ‘fraudulent use of her personal rights’. The character in question is mistaken for actress Scarlett when she first appears and is described as her ‘exact double’. The woman is involved in a series of relationships and her looks mean she is treated as a sex object.
Delacourt has said the character was meant as a tribute to the star, and that his work is meant to be a satire on celebrity culture. He is quoted as saying: ‘I was hoping she might send me flowers’.
Scarlett - who is currently expecting a baby with French fiance Romain Dauraic - had also hoped to stop the novel being translated or adapted for the big screen. However, her request on that point was thrown out by the Paris court.