• Q'orianka Kilcher claims her likeness was used without consent in the "Avatar" films.
• The lawsuit accuses James Cameron of "extraction" rather than inspiration for the character Neytiri.
• Kilter seeks damages, alleging violation of her publicity rights.

Q'orianka Kilcher has filed a lawsuit against James Cameron and Disney in California federal court, alleging that they misused her likeness for the character Neytiri in the "Avatar" films. Kilcher contends that Cameron "extracted, replicated, and commercially deployed her facial likeness," without her permission, thus violating her publicity rights. She claims that a photograph taken of her at 14 years old served as key visual reference for Neytiri's design, projected on screen by Zoe Saldana, according to Reuters and BBC.

In her complaint, Kilcher argues that Cameron used her distinct facial features to create Neytiri, allegedly describing the process as one of "extraction" rather than inspiration. "What Cameron did was not inspiration; it was extraction," stated her attorney, Arnold P. Peter. The lawsuit highlights that Cameron reportedly gifted Kilcher a framed sketch of Neytiri with a note acknowledging her beauty as early inspiration, a gesture Kilcher now argues acknowledges unauthorized use of her likeness, according to India Times and Reuters.

Kilcher's lawsuit further emphasizes that, despite the character's representation as sympathetic to Indigenous issues, she was never credited or compensated for her likeness' use in one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time. Her claim suggests that the producers of "Avatar" engaged in unethical and unlawful practices, integrating her facial identity into digital workflows without her knowledge, as detailed by BBC and India Times.