Randy Quaid is Delusional

Actor Randy Quaid has sued Focus Features, a division of Universal Pictures and "Brokeback Mountain" producer James Schamus for $10 million , saying he was underpaid for his supporting role in the acclaimed film about two cowboys who fall in love reports Reuters.

Quaid, 55, played a key supporting role in the movie as the ranch manager who witnesses the evolution of a homosexual relationship between two sheep wranglers played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The widely respected character actor claimed that Brokeback director Ang Lee told him in 2004: "We can't pay anything, we have very little money, everyone is making a sacrifice to make this film."

According to the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, producers tricked Quaid into appearing in the movie for what was "effectively a donation of his time" by "falsely representing it as a low-budget, art-house film, with no prospect of making any money."

According to Quaid's lawsuit, art-house films are defined as "often experimental, non-mainstream films that are presented as serious artistic work and are not intended to be box office successes."

"Defendants took advantage of Randy Quaid's devotion to filmmaking as an art form and his support of 'true' art films to obtain his performance in Brokeback Mountain," the lawsuit says.

The movie, which cost about $14 million to make, has grossed roughly $160 million at the box office worldwide.

A Focus spokeswoman said Friday that it was the studio's policy "not to comment on pending litigation," reports EOnline

Asked for his opinion on the lawsuit, Beverly Hills-based entertainment lawyer Mark Litwak called it a "longshot" on Quaid's part.

"If you're making a film about gay cowboys, you don't really expect it to be a blockbuster," Litwak said. "This is a low-budget art film that had a surprising success that no one would have predicted."

Although "Brokeback" drew critical raves, many believed its box-office potential was limited because of its subject matter. But the film gained numerous honors, including eight Oscar nominations.