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Forums - Sony Discussion - Ellen Page claims Naughty Dog “ripped off” her likeness

slowmo on 24 June 2013
Talal said:
That comment by her pissed me off. So what the character looks like her.


The only thing an actor/actress has is their face and voice to sell, how is it not quite justified for her to want to look after her likeness.  The game is quite good but what if this likeness was used in a more "adult" game where the character was of less repute, would that be acceptable for her image to be demeaned? Games companies shouldn't really model looks on individuals unless they're prepared to pay for the likeness or at least obtain permission, that's not to say that ND did of course.  There are a lot of people in the world so it's not easy to avoid all likeness from people.



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A203D on 24 June 2013

I thought that she did the mocap for the Last of Us?? Evidently not. I was fooled, lol.



Viltsu300 on 24 June 2013

That girl is annoying



Me on 24 June 2013

She has a fair point, the name and looks is very similar and if Naughty dog didn't ask her or pick up on it then they they are to blame.



 


Andrespetmonkey on 24 June 2013

When I first saw Ellie in that reveal trailer I instantly thought it was Ellen Page, but honestly it didn't even cross my mind while playing the game. Probably because they changed her appearance and I saw a bunch of Ashley Johnson interviews so I had the accurate mental image of her VA.



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20happyballs on 24 June 2013
JayWood2010 said:

As usual I see rude comments in here about a public figure. Seeing as people has been mistaking Ellie for Ellen Page (even the name Ellie and Ellen is similar) since the reveal it is obvious that they look extremely similar and from an actor's perspective that is a pretty cheap way of cashing in on off her popularity where she gets no rewards out of it. Video games isn't like they was 10 years ago. Now acting goes hand in hand with voice acting and The Last of Us presents that very well and when people don't know what the game is but they are a fan of her and see someone who looks like her on the cover they may buy it thinking it is Ellen Page.

Let me use Brad Pitt as an example. It would be very crappy if a video game developer made someone look exactly like him but not cast him as the voice actor/actor because they are basically cashing in on his popularity without paying him.  And in some cases could hurt their reputation if the voice actor or game does bad.  Now that video games are starting to look more realistic this could potentially be a problem in the future.  Especially when you have a look a like on the front cover.

The problem is that this can't be taken to court because it can not be proven that they copied her looks as there is small differences to set them a part.  But ever since the reveal it has been obvious and now Ellen has even commented about it.


Agreed. Lately these forums keep getting plagued with so much hostility. Ellen Page is not even being very vocal about it, although she does have a right to be. But its not like she's planning on suing ND. Tbh, it was only in this thread that I found out that Ellie isnt supposed to be Ellen Page in the Last of Us. Isn't Ellie a nickname for Ellen. And there is no denying that the first character draft was based on her. The similarities are far too pronounced to be purely coincidence. Developers need to be more careful about these things. In the beginning of Shenmue games, they even put a disclaimer for the characters looking similiar to a real person because those developers knew that it is not right to use someone's likeness without their permission. 





Player1x3 on 24 June 2013
noname2200 said:
Talal said:
That comment by her pissed me off. So what the character looks like her.

So if it's intentional, and was done without her permission, she has a potential legal claim against them. But as you noted elsewhere, she's somewhat generic-looking.

Wright said:

Woah, calm down that attitude, kiddo. What did you want, that ND gave you a fee or something because of your "likeness"?

While I take your broader point, that would be...kind of how it works. See: Right of Publicity.

Wut? Ellen Page doesnt own the character of Ellie, what are you talking about? 



TheLastStarFighter on 24 June 2013

The comments defending ND on here are hilarious. Ellie looks almost identical to Ellen, and they don't even hide it with the name. Saying the look nothing alike means you either blind in eyesight or in your love for ND.

It makes sense to use Ellen for the role though. She kind of personifies the image of a young girl that you would want to care about and protect, while at the same time has lots of knowledge beyond her years. Her roles in films like Juno have reinforced what her appearance suggests.



Signalstar on 24 June 2013

Don't lie to yourselves people. It looks like Ellen Page and we all know it. They should have asked permission to use her likeness.



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Porcupine_I on 24 June 2013
slowmo said:
Talal said:
That comment by her pissed me off. So what the character looks like her.


The only thing an actor/actress has is their face and voice to sell, how is it not quite justified for her to want to look after her likeness.  The game is quite good but what if this likeness was used in a more "adult" game where the character was of less repute, would that be acceptable for her image to be demeaned? Games companies shouldn't really model looks on individuals unless they're prepared to pay for the likeness or at least obtain permission, that's not to say that ND did of course.  There are a lot of people in the world so it's not easy to avoid all likeness from people.

You have some strange ideas about acting



“It appeared that there had even been demonstrations to thank Big Brother for raising the chocolate ration to twenty grams a week. And only yesterday, he reflected, it had been announced that the ration was to be reduced to twenty grams a week. Was it possible that they could swallow that, after only twenty-four hours? Yes, they swallowed it.”

- George Orwell, ‘1984’