Will Success Spoil Alex Pettyfer?

Daniel D'Addario — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 14:42:40 -0400

Alex Pettyfer, star of the upcoming James Frey adaptation I Am Number Four (it's about teen aliens, not drugs) is having a moment--and, rumor has it, many tantrums. The Hollywood Reporter says that the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Brit held out for more money for Four (he made roughly $250,000; his only previous film released in U.S. theaters was 2006's Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker), refusing even to cash his checks at first. At a recent casting meeting, THR says, the actor--whose new film may likely be a hit!--demanded $10 million.

Pettyfer, who's getting the big studio pitch once lavished on future stars Shia LaBeouf or Taylor Lautner, is, rightly or wrongly, getting a difficult reputation. (Even his co-star and girlfriend Dianna Agron recently fired her entire team to sign with Pettyfer's people at WME, and composed a grammatically loose manifesto about the demands of fame.) He needs I Am Number Four to be a big hit in order to justify his excesses--and he may know it. A rep from the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, where Pettyfer held a screening for new fans (as all his fans are necessarily new fans), told the Observer that rumors were "bizarre. He was really accommodating, and made sure all the fans had a good time." He went to Paramus! Young Mr. Pettyfer may not be as much of a diva as reported.

ddaddario@observer.com :: @DPD_

Observer » Will Success Spoil Alex Pettyfer?

Will Success Spoil Alex Pettyfer?