Fox Searchlight has responded to a lawsuit filed by former Black Swan interns Alex Footman and Eric Glatt, who claim that the (mind-numbing) unpaid work they performed on the set of the movie violated U.S. labor laws. The studio, which distributed the film, isn’t trying to argue that brewing coffee for Natalie Portman constitutes valuable industry experience. They’re just saying that director Darren Aronofsky’s production company is responsible for all those hours of wasted youth: “These interns were not even retained by Fox Searchlight and, in fact, were working for the production company that made Black Swan well before Fox Searchlight even acquired its rights in the film. These individuals were never employed as interns or retained in any capacity by Fox Searchlight, which has a proud history of supporting and fostering productive internships.” That, or Fox’s HR people are just better at spotting potential whiners during the application process. [Deadline]
