Ana De Armas Army Sues Universal for Cutting the Actress From ‘Yesterday’

Even the least pop culture savvy among us know that movie trailers can be misleading. Jokes or plot points that show up in a film’s trailer may be excised from the final cut of the film. That’s just the way the creative process goes. But two Ana De Armas fans aren’t having it. Conor Woulfe and Peter Michael Rosza have filed a consumer protection class action lawsuit against Universal for what they allege were “deceptive, and misleading advertising” for Universal’s 2019 movie Yesterday.

Danny Boyle’s fantasy film follows a struggling musician (Himesh Patel) who awakens after a bike accident to discover that no one remembers the Beatles or their music. The film also stars Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, and Kate McKinnon … and according to the trailers, Ana De Armas. But De Armas’s scenes were cut from the film before its release in 2019. In the three-minute trailer, De Armas appears for a scant 10 seconds.

The plaintiffs said that they rented the film on Amazon.com for $3.99, but were dismayed that De Armas was not in the movie. According to the lawsuit, “Among other deceptions, Defendant’s nationwide advertising and promotion of the movie Yesterday represents to prospective movie viewers that the world famous actress Ana De Armas has a substantial character role in the film.”

Screenwriter Richard Curtis discussed De Armas’s role, saying the film was set to use “Ana De Armas as a complicating factor when he [Jack] arrived in L.A. for the first time. And I think the audience did not like the fact that his eyes even strayed. Because then some people would go, ‘Oh, he really doesn’t deserve her. He really doesn’t deserve Lily.’ You know, it’s one of those things where it’s some of our favorite scenes from the film, but we had to cut them for the sake of the whole.”

Now, the two plaintiffs are suing for $5 million, basing that figure on the number of De Armas fans who they imagine feel cheated as well. The case will likely be dismissed, but it sets a strange precedent for false advertising in film trailers. What comes next? Can someone sue the makers of a comedy film because they put all the jokes in the trailer? Can fans sue an over-long trailer for spoiling too many plot points of a film? Can I sue every trailer that features a spooky slowed-down version of a pop song? The possibilities are endless…ly stupid.

And if we’re talking Ana De Armas lawsuits, I would personally like to sue MGM, the makers of No Time To Die. The studio heavily promoted De Armas’s appearance as CIA agent Paloma, but her screentime was barely 5 minutes long. And it’s doubly insulting, as De Armas was the most vibrant character in the 163 minute-long film.

(via Variety, image: MGM)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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