"Brokeback Mountain" actor [Randy Quaid] sues studio

[Evi]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Randy Quaid has sued the studio and producers behind "Brokeback Mountain" for $10 million (6 million pounds), saying he was underpaid for his supporting role in the acclaimed film about two cowboys who fall in love.

According to the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, producers tricked Quaid into appearing in the movie for what was "effectively a donation of his time" by "falsely representing it as a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making any money."

Quaid, 55, played the no-nonsense rancher who hires Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) to tend his sheep on a Wyoming mountain, where the two men end up in a secret love affair.

The lawsuit names Focus Features, a specialty studio of General Electric Co.-controlled Universal Pictures, as well as Focus co-presidents James Schamus and David Linde. A Focus spokeswoman on Friday declined comment on the suit.

The movie, which cost about $14 million to make, has grossed roughly $160 million at the box office worldwide.

Although "Brokeback" drew critical raves, many believed its box-office potential was limited because of its subject matter. But the film gained numerous honours, including eight Oscar nominations, as it crossed over to a mainstream audience. Ultimately, it earned Academy Awards for director Ang Lee, as well as its screenwriters and musical composer.

The lawsuit says Quaid, an Oscar nominee for a supporting role in the 1973 film "The Last Detail," has a history of working at reduced rates in "experimental, non-mainstream" movies for the sake of art.

Quaid said he agreed to appear in "Brokeback" for a nominal sum -- rather than his customary seven-figure fee plus a percentage of the box office gross -- because the filmmakers convinced him it was a low-budget picture with no commercial potential.

The director himself, who is not named as a defendant in the suit, told the actor: "We have very little money, everyone is making a sacrifice to make this film," the suit says.

However, the suit claims that "from day one, defendants fully intended the film would not be made on a low budget, would be given a worldwide release and would be supported as the studio picture it always was secretly intended to be."

Moreover, the suit says, Linde obtained Universal\'s backing for "Brokeback" by presenting it to his studio bosses as a film "that was going to make money."

:fighting:

He\'s just jealous because he wanted in on the action.

Looking at it from his perspective, as much money as the studios make they shouldn\'t undersell (read: scam) this to the actors if they were planning on marketing it as much as they did.  Surprised he made less than a mil.

He got 10 million.... I hate people

[Evi]

I think Bruce Willis did a movie entirely for free and the studio said they\'d pay him AFTER the movie made money. That was 12 Monkeys, I think. The movie ended up making bank and they paid Bruce in full. He took a risk, I suppose.

He got 10 million.... I hate people

Says he\'s suing for 10 mil but made less than 7 figures.  Did he win the lawsuit or something?

K never mind, still he made insane money

[Evi]

After his performance in Independence Day I figured he was only worth 5 bucks in Hollywood.

This doesn\'t surprise me, coming from the star of 2004\'s "National Lampoon\'s Christmas Vacation 2."

I like Randy Quaid, but he\'s not even a B list actor anymore.  Remember his supporting role "The Adventures of Pluto Nash?"  He should have a better agent if he\'s not smart enough to figure this stuff out on his own.  Shit, he should have been able to predict how big the film was going to be just by reading the script.

BTW, I\'ve seen The Last Detail. Good movie, but I\'m surprised he got nominated. Weak year?

He\'s been playing idiots for so many years that I\'m not surprised that nobody respects him anymore.

[Titan]

I like Randy Quaid, but he\'s not even a B list actor anymore.  Remember his supporting role "The Adventures of Pluto Nash?"  He should have a better agent if he\'s not smart enough to figure this stuff out on his own.  Shit, he should have been able to predict how big the film was going to be just by reading the script.

Think of it this way. You are an actor and you just read a script about gay cowboys in Montana or Wyoming or wherever. Given the countries pride and heritage of the cowboys, do you think that at first glance this would have been as successful as it ended up being? I personally too would have underestimated (and I did when I first heard about it. I said to myself this movie is probably not gonna be successful).

No, that story has a huge amount of shock value, which generates free publicity.  Think of this:  A well known director, Ang Lee + well known actors Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal, + free publicity.  He should have known that it would be bigger than they were telling him.

[Titan]

No, that story has a huge amount of shock value, which generates free publicity.  Think of this:  A well known director, Ang Lee + well known actors Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal, + free publicity.  He should have known that it would be bigger than they were telling him.

You\'re probably right. Was this movie an independent film or was it a company film? If it was independent, he might have underestimated it.

Sounds like the studio really ass raped this guy.

Get it?

Gay.

-Dan

[Living-In-Clip]

You\'re probably right. Was this movie an independent film or was it a company film? If it was independent, he might have underestimated it.

Uh?

Ang Lee
Big actors.

What do you think?
He should of known from the start.