.jpg?trim=0,0,0,0&width=1200&height=800&crop=1200:800)
Kate Beckinsale is suing the producers of her 2024 action film Canary Black, alleging that unsafe and dangerous conditions on set led to her suffering “severe and debilitating injuries, including significant trauma to her left knee.”
The 51-year-old London-born actor is accusing production company Anton Entertainment and producer John Zois of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and battery in a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The lawsuit, which has been seen by The Independent, alleges that Beckinsale and her team “repeatedly raised red flags regarding unsafe conditions on and off set.”
These included “long, dangerous set days, often lasting fifteen hours, inadequate equipment and medical personnel to help manage the high physical workload and recover from the exertion off set, and failure to adequately inform Ms Beckinsale of what stunts she was expected to perform until often the moment she had to perform it.”
She claims that these unsafe conditions meant that on or around December 15, 2022, she suffered a “complex meniscus tear in her left knee”, an injury that was later exacerbated when producers ignored doctors’ orders and coerced her into resuming stunt work.
Beckinsale also states in the lawsuit that she wrote to producer Zois several times to inform him of dangerous conditions, including being told at short notice that sequences were practical stunts rather than special effects.
.jpg)
She wrote: “Not really knowing what is coming up and performing it for the first time off guard, on camera and under a time crunch are just loading the dice for unnecessary injury… Speaking last night to a few actors and actresses I know in my position, no one has ever been told something was green screen and found out day of a portion of it was practical… What I am suggesting is merely what has been absolutely standard on every movie I have appeared in before.”
In a further message, Beckinsale’s agent Shani Rosenzweig wrote to Zois to say that the actor “keeps showing up to set for her call time and everyone around her has been made aware it’s going to be a 15 hour [or more] day except for her.” She added: “If you’re trying to kill a person, you’re doing a great job.”
Zois allegedly acknowledged the dangerous conditions in a reply, saying: “I don’t know what else to say other than you’re right.” He added: “Bottom line, we need to shorten these days… The days are too packed for the pace we are moving and it’s CLEARLY not sustainable.”
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
The Independent has approached Anton Entertainment for comment.
Last December, Beckinsale responded to Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni by saying that she herself had faced years of sexist harassment and abuse on Hollywood sets.
In an Instagram video, the Underworld star said that while she didn’t know Lively or Baldoni, she wanted to focus on the “machine that goes into effect when a woman complains about something legitimately offensive, upsetting, harmful or whatever in this industry.”
She recalled being referred to as “that c***” on one film set because she had called out a male actor who was “drunk every day” and refused to learn his lines.
