Lena Headey sued by former agency for USD 1.5 million over unpaid commission fees
Jul 01, 2022
Washington [US], July 1 : British actor Lena Headey of 'Game of Thrones' fame has been sued for USD 1.5 million by her former agency, Troika, over unpaid commission fees relating to a number of projects including 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.
According to Variety, the agency, now called YMU has claimed that the actor owes them at least USD 500,000, equivalent to 7 per cent of her fee -- for her earnings on the Marvel movie.
In the final cut of 'Thor: Love and Thunder', which stars Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman and is set to release next week, Headey does not appear, confirmed Variety.
According to court documents, Headey joined Troika in 2005 after following her personal rep, Michael Duff, there from his previous agency Lou Carl Associates.
Duff co-founded Troika, which in 2017 merged with the James Grant Group. In 2018 the agency was acquired by a private equity firm and re-branded as YMU. Duff left Troika/YMU in early 2020 and Headey left the agency in May of that year.
However, the agency has claimed that under the terms of their agreement Headey still owes the agency commission fees on a number of projects as well as at least USD 300,000 on the film '9 Bullets' and USD 650,000 for Showtime dramedy series 'Rita', reported Variety.
Headey was set to play the titular Rita character, but the show didn't secure a series order beyond its pilot episode.
Troika are seeking an account of commission fees owed, an order for Headey to pay the fees, damages for breach of contract, interest and reimbursement of legal fees.
In her defense, Headey claims she never signed any contract with Troika or with Duff, and that both parties were acting on an oral agreement formed when Duff was still at Lou Carl Associates in the late 1990s.
Her filings also point out that Troika was never Headey's sole agent, as she is also represented by CAA in the US, as per Variety.
