A very minor character in the film 'Wolf of Wall Street,' based on the duplicitous rise of corporate conman Jordan Belfort, tried to sue for his depiction as Nicky "Rugrat" Koskoff, a criminal, substance user, a degenerate who is seemingly devoid of ethics.
'Black Mass' is a biopic about a gangster named Whitey Bulger, played by Johnny Depp, and his associate Kevin Weeks, played by Jesse Plemons. Bulger, was serving two life sentences in jail before he was killed by other inmates, said that the film unfairly puts the blame on him, and Weeks echoed another sentiment of his when he said that the film absolves the federal government of their role in everything that happened.
Amanda Knox publicly called out Matt Damon's film 'Stillwater,' and its director Tom McCarthy, in a Twitter thread on July 29 for using her story without her consent. McCarthy told Vanity Fair that the film, though fictional, is inspired by Knox's wrongful conviction of the murder of Meredith Kercher, in which the real culprit is Rudy Guede. Knox criticized the way that her name is used to garner attention around the film and how the many fictional liberties 'Stillwater' takes skews the public's perception of her story and ultimately her reputation. "By fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person," she wrote. "And with Matt Damon’s star power, both are sure to profit handsomely off of this fictionalization of 'the Amanda Knox saga' that is sure to leave plenty of viewers wondering, 'Maybe the real-life Amanda was involved somehow.'"
Patrizia Reggiani, the Italian socialite who served nearly two decades in prison for hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver), has also been open about her disdain for Gaga's approach. "I am rather annoyed at the fact that Lady Gaga is playing me in the new Ridley Scott film without having had the consideration and sensibility to come and meet me," she told Italian outlet ANSA in March, insisting that "It is a question of good sense and respect." Gaga responded, telling British Vogue, "I only felt that I could truly do this story justice if I approached it with the eye of a curious woman who was interested in possessing a journalistic spirit so that I could read between the lines of what was happening in the film's scenes," she said. "Meaning that nobody was going to tell me who Patrizia Gucci was. Not even Patrizia Gucci." Gaga also did not read the book upon which the movie is based. Her approach was focused on dyeing her hair, speaking in an Italian accent in front of and behind the cameras for months, and taking up photography. "I have no evidence that Patrizia was a photographer, but I thought as an exercise, and finding her interests in life, that I would become a photographer," the singer explained. The dialect coach on set also slammed Gaga's accent, calling it more Russian than anything.
The heirs of Aldo Gucci (played by Al Pacino), who served as chairman of the Gucci fashion house from 1953 to 1986, were less than pleased with the result of Ridley Scott's crime biopic 'House of Gucci.' The family issued a statement on November 29, 2021, criticizing the production, arguing it "did not bother to consult the heirs before describing Aldo Gucci and the members of the Gucci family as thugs, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them," reports Variety, adding that the movie attributes "a tone and an attitude to the protagonists of the well-known events that never belonged to them."
“This is extremely painful from a human point of view and an insult to the legacy on which the brand is built today,” it continued. The family also had a problem with how Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) "is portrayed not just in the film, but also in statements from cast members, as a victim trying to survive in a male and male chauvinist corporate culture.” They explain, “This couldn’t be further from the truth,” and claim that when the Gucci company was a family business, it was "an inclusive company" with several women in positions of power.
"Gucci is a family that lives honoring the work of its ancestors, whose memory does not deserve to be disturbed to stage a spectacle that is untrue, and which does not do justice to its protagonists," the statement concluded, adding that the "members of the Gucci family reserve the right to take action to protect the name, image and dignity of themselves and their loved ones."
The main problem Winnie Mandela, longtime wife of activist and politician Nelson Mandela, found with her self-titled biopic was that she wasn't consulted at all, though they filmed in South Africa where she resides. She found the whole thing inappropriately romanticized.
Los Angeles Lakers legend and NBA icon Jerry West didn't just dislike the portrayal of himself in HBO’s drama series 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,' but he even got his lawyers to demand retraction and an apology from HBO and the show's producers for their "deliberately false characterization."
In a letter issued to executive producer Adam McKay, HBO, and parent company Warner Bros.-Discovery on April 19 2022, West’s attorneys state that the series has “caused great distress to Jerry and his family,” demanding a legal retraction within two weeks, reports Variety.
The series, which was renewed for a second season, follows the Lakers at the beginning of the “Showtime” era in the '80s, led at the time by players such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jerry West is played by Jason Clarke, who portrays West as an aggressive executive agitated by his multiple NBA Finals losses as a player.
“You took a happy and super successful Lakers era and turned it into a pulpy soap opera,” reads the letter. “You depicted the people in a false light, not at all who they are, to garner ratings and make money."
The letter also contains testimony from individuals who worked alongside West at the time, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who offered his own criticism on his personal blog. "Instead of exploring his issues with compassion as a way to better understand the man, they turn him into a Wile E. Coyote cartoon to be laughed at,” Abdul-Jabbar wrote of West's depiction. “He never broke golf clubs, he didn’t throw his trophy through the window. Sure, those actions make dramatic moments, but they reek of facile exploitation of the man rather than exploration of character.”
The politician has demonstrated her ability to handle mocking from 'Saturday Night Live,' but when it came to the serious portrayal of the 2008 presidential campaign in the film 'Game Change' she was very vocal about the false narrative she perceived.
Every film has its critics, but one critic you definitely don’t want is one the film is based on.
Check out this gallery to see the surprisingly long list of famous people who think the films got it wrong.
Famous people who disliked their on-screen portrayals
Envision an eternal self that doesn’t reflect reality
MOVIES Celebrities
Every film has its critics, but one critic you definitely don’t want is one the film is based on.
Check out this gallery to see the surprisingly long list of famous people who think the films got it wrong.