In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow is no stranger to dangerous situations such as high-speed chases and having to evade those who might be trying to get the drop on her. She’s a superhero, it’s part of the territory. Unfortunately for Scarlett Johansson, though, she recently had to experience a real-life version of that after paparazzi stalked her following a promotional appearance and even put her life at risk.
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Johansson revealed on Tuesday that after her Monday Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearance alongside Avengers: Endgame co-stars Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rudd, and Chris Hemsworth, she was followed by “5 cars full of men with blacked out windows” who were breaking traffic laws and endangering others on the road to follow her to her hotel. In a statement (via ET), Johansson said that the men — paparazzi — continued to stalk her and her daughter.
“Yesterday, after leaving the Jimmy Kimmel Show, I was followed by 5 cars full of men with blacked out windows who were running red lights and putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk so they could follow me to find out where I was staying and subsequently stalk me and my young daughter for the duration of my stay,” Johansson wrote. “The paparazzi put people’s live at risk, so they can wait for days in quiet neighborhoods in blacked out cars and try to follow me to the playground and photograph my child and other people’s children in a safe place that should be off limits but isn’t. All of this is perfectly legal. After yesterday’s incident, I felt it was my duty as a concerned citizen who was being pursued dangerously and stalked to go to the local precinct and seek guidance there. I would encourage others in a similar situation to go to the police.”
Johansson went on to note that she feels that something needs to be done by law enforcement so as to prevent a tragedy not unlike the death of Princess Diana 22 years ago.
“Women across the US are stalked, harassed and frightened and a universal law to address stalking must be at the forefront of law enforcement conversations. Until paparazzi are considered by the law for the criminal stalkers they are, it’s just a waiting game before another person gets seriously injured or killed, like Princess Diana,” she concluded.
Back in 1997, the car Diana, Princess of Wales was riding in crashed in a Paris tunnel while being pursued by paparazzi. Diana, along with companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul, was killed in the crash. Fortunately in Johansson’s situation Monday no one was injured or hurt, but she did go to the police, who themselves told ET that paparazzi did overpower her security, prompting Johansson and those with her to be taken to the Hollywood police station until they were able to leave safely.
Do you think the laws dealing with the paparazzi need to be changed? Let us know your take in the comments below.
Avengers: Endgame opens in theaters April 26th.
