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Ellen Page says Naughty Dog "ripped off" her likeness

Juno and Inception star says similarities between her and The Last of Us' Ellie were "not appreciated."

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Inception star Ellen Page has said developer Naughty Dog "ripped off" her likeness for The Last of Us.

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On Reddit, Page said the initial similarities between herself and The Last of Us' Ellie were "not appreciated" because she was also cast as Jodie Holmes in Beyond: Two Souls, which is due out for PlayStation 3 in October 2013.

"I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness," said Page, "but I am actually acting in a videogame called Beyond Two Souls, so it was not appreciated."

After initial comments regarding Ellie's resemblance to Page, Naughty Dog altered the design of the character to more closely resemble her voice actress Ashley Johnson.

Responding to Page's comments, Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann took to Twitter to praise the work of of Johnson. "Ellie from The Last of Us was perfectly played by @TheVulcanSalute. No one could've done a better job. Please go follow her and retweet."

PlayStation 3 exclusive The Last of Us launched two weeks ago. For more information, check out GameSpot's review.

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AzatiS

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I found a video with a girl that look EXACTLY like Angelina Jolie .... In real life ...


I hope she wont end up in jail !! l . o . l !

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AirForce190B

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Ellie looks nothing like Ashley Johnson and a lot more like Ellen Page. Naughty Dog is just acting like their naughty self.

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Ravenlore_basic

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@AirForce190B http://www.starscolor.com/images/ashley-johnson-04.jpg it looks in skin tone and face if she TRIED to make that same face. ITS the HAIR that really looks like Ellen's hair. But to me it looks easier to do than more complex hair like Ashley's hair.

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CharlesBurns

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Edited By CharlesBurns

I thought Page did the voice acting for "The Last of Us"

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Vagrant009

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the resemblance is there and it was not appreciated. hahahahaha funny

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FarginIcehole

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Somewhere in Italy is a plumber screaming that Nintendo has ripped him off because of his likeness!

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Imperiusmax

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Hmm I do see a resemblance. I guess naughty dog was 'inspired' by her look when creating the character.

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BlackSquare

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The character has freckles and different eye color. All they have to do is find some no name actress that looks a bit more like the character and say it was based off her instead and pay her something to accept the story. Heck they don't even need to pay the other actress. Just find a few women that look like the character and it legally disproves Ellen Page. What they took was her "style/look" not her likeness. Which can easily be explained.

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MasterManiac772

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You know, this is funny, but I just took a long, hard look at the photo up there. I'm just not seeing the resemblance. Yes, I am being serious. I really, really don't see it.

Sure, the hair is parted in the same way, but that's *such* a stretch.

In this case, I'd say this is one miniscule example of Naughty Dog *not* plagiarizing something.

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PHOENIXZERO

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@MasterManiac772 http://media.officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk/files/2012/05/Screen-shot-2012-05-17-at-1.12.14-PM.png One of the promo images from before they changed the character's face.


You seriously don't see it?

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GONtheSKYLORD

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@PHOENIXZERO @MasterManiac772

People don't want to see it because their blind fanboyism forces them to just attack anyone who might have something negative to say about their product. Stupid people will always exist and there really isn't much we can do about it.

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tmarbleii

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@PHOENIXZERO @MasterManiac772 Naughty Dog changed her "last minute" when too many people were catching on she was a digital Ellen Page, making her younger looking, and changing a few things, but the resemblance is still striking. On the plus side, she'll get far more credit for TLOU than the actual voice actress, but on the negative side, it kinda sucks to have your image used without permission. It was a d*ck move by Naughty Dog. They should have got Page's blessing. WB went thru hoops to get Marlon Brando's estate's permission for his brief appearance in Superman Returns. An Actor/actress's look is their legacy and bread-earner, and should not be so frivolously abused.


Hopefully Page and Naughty Dog can come to an agreement and will not get tied up in a lawsuit.

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PHOENIXZERO

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@tmarbleii @PHOENIXZERO @MasterManiac772 Even with the original rendering of the character's face there wouldn't have been enough grounds for a lawsuit. Post even less.

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Shaolinstylez

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It made me think of her when I was playing and even think of the other game she was in, it's actually increasing her rep.

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ratchet200

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Edited By ratchet200

A celebrity acting in a video game isn't going to make me want to purchase it any more then if they hadn't. Hopefully this is true for most people out there.

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tmarbleii

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@ratchet200 Voice acting is still acting. If the person doing the acting takes it serious, it shows... Look at the various movie tie ins with the actual actors phoning in the lines, then compare it to the games where the programmers and voice actors treat the project like an interactive feature film... It's a world of difference. Ellen Page is a fantastic actress (sadly most of the world only knows her from Xmen 3)

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talkcasual

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@ratchet200 say this to Kojima

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Splincir

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@talkcasual @ratchet200 U mad? I think Sutherlands voice sounded good as snake. Bringing actual voice talent to the english side of the game could help it more than hurt it. Most asian games that are translated post production usually have pretty poor voice acting. Same goes for most american games translated into other languages its usually an after thought and done poorly. Its like watching a jakie chan movie from the eighties, and i mean the dubbed versions not the subbed. The voices are so bad its comical.

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Cochleadoc

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@tmarbleii @talkcasual @Splincir @ratchet200 One does not equate the other, sadly.

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tmarbleii

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@talkcasual @Splincir @ratchet200 "What I see is a chunk of Kojima's budget thrown away on BS instead of investing it where it counts" on a bloated, conspiracy-laden cesspool of paranoia? If hiring Keifer means Kojima actually has to make a tight, coherent story, I'm ALL for hiring him!!!

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Splincir

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@talkcasual @Splincir @ratchet200 Quality voice acting counts to bringing across a more believable and emotional experience. Thats the whole point. It wasnt just the voice they wanted. They mocapped his face, theyre not just voice actors in games anymore. With a lot of the facial capture tech out there, video game acting is moving beyond sitting in a booth talking into a mic. ITs called increasing the overall production value of the game. Better voice acting, more believable animation add in a bunch of things that tie you closer to the characters in game. Part of good gameplay is being to tie you to the characters or story being told. In the past because of the lack of tech and hardware devs had to rely on other methods. Like in the 80s none of this was possible it was all about the mechanics of gameplay. But remember how awesome it was when mario 64 and ocarina of time came out and you could play two of your most beloved franchises in 3d. Over time theyll continue to add and have continued to add more layers of realism.

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talkcasual

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@Splincir @talkcasual @ratchet200 I don't have issues with Kiefer personally, it's just that he probably costs 100 times more than the original guy (who did a great job btw). His level of work isn't 100 as good, so his main contribution is basically adding his name to the roster - and this gives no gameplay value. What I see is a chunk of Kojima's budget thrown away on BS instead of investing it where it counts

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dalua360

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@talkcasual Why do you say that ? Because Kiefer Sutherland ?

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jark888

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Ellen Page is right. At first, I thought she was hired for both of Sony's studios project. If I were The Last of Us's creative director, I would better use the likeness of other Hollywood star. Then, the outcome would be better for company image. Still love great games you made though, Naughty Dog.

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Isaac_Redfield

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Almost nothing about the Uncharted series is compelling in regards to gameplay. In fact, it's one of the most bare-boned "games" in that regard and entirely shallow. The reason most look past that is due to the overall "experience" you would get from them. Love or hate the way they do cinematic experiences, their production is stellar. Regarding the plot of TLoU; yeah, you can draw comparisons to TWD, The Road and I am Ledgend. They all fit to an extent, but the biggest plot ripoff was from Children of Men.

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mojoboy31

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@Isaac_Redfield Ah, yes, I forgot to throw Children Of Men in there... The point is that it isn't this "completely original" game that it's billed as.

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Splincir

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@mojoboy31 @Isaac_Redfield Exactly my thoughts. When i saw this i thought exactly what they said i shouldnt. I thought oh great another post apocalyptic zombie game... yay(sarcasm). Sorry naughty dog but your blatant arrogance has kept me away from this title. I enjoyed the indian jones like feel from the uncharted games, but im tired of all the zombie crap. When is it going to faze out like WW2 games. Please soon I hope.

Right now its like every developer comes up with an idea for a game and when theyre done with it they say to themselves, " you know what would make this better, Zombies. Okay everyone figure out a way to tack zombies in our game. ooh i got it... we'll make them fungal zombies and not call them zombies even though they are just that"

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dalua360

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@Splincir @mojoboy31 @Isaac_Redfield I agree, and I'm a huge fan of zombie stuff, and I agree with you only because developers and producers, on games and movies, they don't know how to take advantage of this genre. I don't think this genre, in general, is overused, I think it's underused, or at least no one can see its real potential.... Example: The Walking Dead has more human drama than the zombie problem itself, and on other movies due to low budget they can't make something serious, it all comes out very comic in the end, but I see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it comes from REAL survival zombie games, which we don't have yet. Day Z is the nearest to what I think we could really call "good zombie game, or movie", but we need some AAA devs and producers to put tons of money on it, and keep the good idea that Day Z created, which is: A game where you're free to do what you want, like GTA, but you don't have resources! The problem with Day Z, War Z, State of Decay is that they don't have good AI or graphics... imagine a game with real survival features like "no respawn" with the graphics and AI of a AAA game, Watch Dogs for example ? We would approach each city with military tactics, and making friends would be more dangerous than facing zombies, but the zombie problem could be important IF the game had side quests like Red Dead Redemption has, which would create an immersive world where your actions have significance not only to your survival but to help solve this whole situation.....

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dalua360

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@mojoboy31 @Isaac_Redfield I remember some zombie movies that used this too, like "28 Weeks Later"...

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MasterManiac772

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Edited By MasterManiac772

Meh, Naughty Dog doesn't have an original bone in its entire collective body. Everything they do is shallow and derivative. They like so many other studios want to toss off the shackles of innovation and hard work so they can instead crap out linear "story" (hack, cough, blerrgh) games that are Just Like Movies(tm).

Don't think so? Well, then, maybe you should look up a little game called Earth No More, and you'll see that what little of Last of Us is actually quote/unquote "original" (read: teh zombehs) pales in ratio to ripoffs of Earth No More's story and atmosphere.

Uncharted is a bland series with a bland brown-haired hero protagonist and lots and lots of Acting. He's a gender-swapped Tomb Raider and not even a very good one at that. In fact, I've even heard that one of the games pretty much shamelessly steals - that is, *directly lifts* - the plot of a rather famous movie. I can't confirm this personally because I don't watch movies, but I wouldn't put it past them after learning more about the mockery that is The Last of Us.

Face it. Naughty Dog's success? It's because of marketing. That simple. Well, that and blind Sony fanboyism (and don't get me wrong, I am SO in Sony's boat thanks to Xbox One), which has also lead to brain-dead Devil May Cry ripoff God of War somehow becoming a "killer IP."

*sigh*

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viperdesmith

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Also Earth No More sounds nothing like The Last of Us

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MasterManiac772

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@viperdesmith Don't be naive. Look at the actual plot and setting. "Safe camps" where people who appear to be infected are shot on sight. Malicious plant (read, spore) life. Take a look at the concept art for the game. Even the *mood* was lifted.

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viperdesmith

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@MasterManiac772 In February 2008 Edge[6] reported that 3D Realms was being sued by Cinemagraphix Entertainment for stealing the idea of the Earth No More video game. Cinemagraphix claimed that they had pitched the idea in 2005 to various game developers including 3D Realms. The Cinemagraphix complaints accuse the defendants (3D Realms), of copyright infringement, unlawful competition, misappropriation, unfair business practices, unjust enrichment, conspiracy and other claims. They said that 3D Realms had not just stolen the name but the premise and concept art as well, stating that their concept and the in-development shooter are "virtually identical in substance".

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jark888

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Edited By jark888

@MasterManiac772 Marketing plays crucial role in the company success, but their games have that quality. They are branded as talented developers since Jak and Dexter series. See and hear testimonies(ND's games reviews) from many gamers on Youtube if you must. The average scores of Uncharted series from reliable sources show 88-96%. Here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncharted

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mojoboy31

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@MasterManiac772 Hmmm... Uncharted is just an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider. And Last Of Us is just Walking Dead/ The Road/ The Omega Man (I Am Legend)... I can't think of anything that resembles Crash Bandicoot though.

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MasterManiac772

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@mojoboy31 @MasterManiac772 I can. Sonic the Hedgehog. :-p

Okay, *that* was probably a bit of a stretch. :-)

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MasterManiac772

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@mojoboy31 @MasterManiac772 They both run and jump a lot! AND they both have spin attacks!

Wow, that's so shameless! :-p

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mojoboy31

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@MasterManiac772 @mojoboy31 Sonic wears shoes. Crash wears shoes. Twins!!!! lol!!!

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Failsauce101

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Edited By Failsauce101

How is this even an article? Slamming somebody from a Reddit post GameSpot...... Please. I love this site, but this is kind of lame and makes you guys look bad. She was asked what she thought about her being so similar to Ellie in The Last of Us, which you didn't even link.

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zanyboy786

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who gives a **** you got ripped, if the game was a flop then you should have been complaining

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Black_Pander

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@zanyboy786 surely if the game was massively successful you should be complaining?

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talkcasual

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Edited By talkcasual

Let's be serious for a sec. Anyone who holds gaming dear should voice his opposition to the involvement of Hollywood superstars like Page in the gaming industry.

This trend is picking up and it's bad news. Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe in BTS, Kieffer Sutherland in MGS.. It's already bad enough that AAA titles spend most of their budget on marketing.. If they start paying ridiculous 8-figure sums to cast like in Hollywood this will be the end of gaming. Entire indie games have been made for less than what Page asks for as salary.

Let's keep gaming about gaming. I honestly feel that any formal involvement by Page would only have degraded TLOU. The less-known actress for Ellie (Ashley) did a perfect job and I wouldn't change it one bit.

So, although all this excess hate for Page is a bit overboard, it's for a good cause :)

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tmarbleii

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@talkcasual Um... Arkham Asylum/City? Mark Hammill stole the show! There are many other cases of quality actors earning their pay. And it's up to the developer to decide if they want to pay for quality, name recognition, or both. Personally, I love hearing a celebrity voice in a game... be it Patrick Stewart, Bruce Campbell, or Ellen.

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MasterManiac772

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@talkcasual Could not possibly - POSSIBLY - agree with you more.

I, for one, am pretty much sick and tired of these Holly-whine has-beens being artificially injected into the games industry because suddenly games are totally "in-vogue" now. I don't care about them. At all.

I mean, this isn't the same thing as Mark Hamill and Tim Wilson in Wing Commander - that's a whole other kind of awesome. That's good actors having great chemistry in a wonderful game. This? This is name dropping.

And it SUCKS.

...it sucks like David Cage, and everything David Cage has ever done.

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viperdesmith

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@MasterManiac772 @talkcasual Name dropping, by not having Ellen Page in the game...?

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MasterManiac772

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Edited By MasterManiac772

@viperdesmith @MasterManiac772 @talkcasual Name dropping, as in "AAA" games hiring big-name actors for the sake of hiring big-name actors. That's what I was driving at.

Sorry (honestly) if I didn't do a good job making myself clear. In this case, I was not specifically talking about Last of Us, but some recent games in general.

Also, once again, *screw* David Cage.

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mojoboy31

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@talkcasual So, games should be able to get away with ripping off celebrities faces as a way to avoid paying them?... I vote no...

Ashley Johnson was in Avengers, the highest grossing movie of all-time, and is the lead (I think it's the lead) in Joss Whedon's highly anticipated Much Ado About Nothing. I don't think lesser known is a fair comparison in this case.

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talkcasual

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@mojoboy31 @talkcasual I don't think ND owes Ellen Page anything. They haven't made any use of her name. The character is similar, but not enough to warrant any copyright dispute. Ellie has very generic features and looks like the girl next door

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talkcasual

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@XNEXUS666X @talkcasual @mojoboy31 So what, I can find plenty bored actors named Joel, Joe or Joey with a generic beard and dark hair

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XNEXUS666X

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@talkcasual @mojoboy31 Ellen - Ellie... Nah, not even the name is close...

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