A former model is suing NBC Universal after discovering a decade-old photograph of herself was used as a “masturbatory prop†by Jon Favreau’s character in the execrable comedy Couple’s Retreat. Though Irina Krupnik signed a general release when the bikini photo was taken, she’s suing NBC Universal for $10 million for “great humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, shame, mortification and injury to her reputation and career†after the photo was used in the film. The funniest parts are the mean things they say about Jon Favreau in the actual lawsuit, though, describing him as an “overweight, unhappily married male character†who uses the photo “to masturbate while his wife is in the washroom.†The suit calls Favreau’s character “much older, desiccated†and says the scene “would be a crime if Mr. Favreau attempted it on a New York City subway.†Krupnik’s lawyer claims that the filmmakers should have gotten permission to use a photo in the scene from a person who wanted to be portrayed in that context. “Certainly, NBC Universal has the resources to do that,†her lawyer said. This legal action opens the door for a class-action suit by every other actor in the film, including Vince Vaughn’s own father, Vernon Vaughn, who no doubt feels that everything he ever accomplished in his long life was negated by his brief appearance in the hideous “comedy†as the character “Grandpa Jim-Jim.â€
Woman Sues Over Unwitting Appearance in ‘Couple’s Retreat’ [NYP]