Scarlett Johansson Sues French Author Over Unauthorised Use Of Her Name In New Book

It would seem like a compliment, having a respected French author write about you, but Gregoire Delacourt’s use of the name Scarlett Johansson in his new book is, in fact, a "breach and fraudulent use of personal rights." Or at least that is what the actress claims, according to Yahoo!News. Far from being just the femme fatale we’re acquainted with from her films, Johansson is also no stranger to the courtroom, having sued over nude photos stolen from her hacked phone and fabricated quotes in Cosmopolitan magazine. This time the issue is a bit murkier, however, as Scarlett’s name has only been used to describe a doppelganger of hers – the actual person of Scarlett Johansson isn’t involved at all.

The book in question, 'La première chose qu’on regard' ('The First Thing We Look At'), was published in March. It concerns a mysterious woman who looks just like Johansson, who asks for help at the house of a car mechanic in a village in the Somme, in northern France. In fact, Delacourt thinks the actress should be flattered by what he perceives as a compliment.

“I am also very sad,” he told 'Le Figaro'. “I was hoping that she might send me flowers because this book is, in a way, a declaration of love.” He also added some much more precise compliments: “She is an archetypal beauty of our times, very human with a touching fragility. She is a wonderful, iconic actress.” The main thing for Delacourt, however, is that Johansson seems to have missed the message of his work. La premiere chose qu’on regard is intended as a satire of celebrity culture. As such, it name checks several other celebrities as well – people like Ryan Gosling and Gene Hackman.

“All these famous people live with us all the time. Celeb culture is imposed on us by the media, the press, the internet,” Mr Delacourt said. “So her complaint is based on exactly the phenomenon I am denouncing. It’s a paradox. But I suppose it’s all very American.

” Finally, Mr Delacourt falls back on the defense that the book is a work of fiction above all else. Unfortunately, the defense of “Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental” doesn’t really apply in this case.

Delacourt praised the actress's beauty in an attempt to defend his work.

But the actress isn't buying it.