Scarlett Johansson Hopes Her Black Widow Lawsuit Will Have Lasting Impact
With Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney now in the rearview mirror, the Black Widow star hopes it will have a lasting impact on Hollywood as more actors fight for proper compensation. Johansson filed her Black Widow lawsuit against Disney in July, after the studio announced it was making her Marvel Cinematic Universe solo film a simultaneous theatrical/Disney+ release. The crux of her argument was that Disney wanted to make Black Widow available on Disney+ to boost the streaming service's subscribers, which thus decreased its box office numbers and her payday. Both sides eventually came to a resolution, but Johansson is standing firm with her belief that while it may have come across as controversial, the lawsuit will be a positive thing for actors in the long run.
"It's an evolving time where there's this huge sea change happening, and as my daughter [Rose] told me the other day, you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs," Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter during the 35th annual American Cinematheque tribute in her honor.
Many stars from across Hollywood came out to celebrate Johansson's illustrious career, including her husband Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live fame, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Though it was a joyous celebration, she did find time to discuss the controversial lawsuit.
"It was a very surreal time because, of course, the film had come out and was hugely successful and that was a big celebration. I had a baby and that was obviously a life-changing, amazing, celebratory thing," she said. "In a way, that sort of buoyed me through the very uncertain, stressful time. I feel mostly very fortunate that nobody will have to go through what I went through and that it's made, I think, a positive impact in the industry and hopefully for artists and creatives' lives and livelihood."
One major piece of information that came out of the festivities was the revelation that Kevin Feige and Scarlett Johansson are working together on a secret Marvel project. The only details known at this time are its a non-Black Widow project and Johansson is attached as a producer.
"We are already working with Scarlett on another non-Black Widow-related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer," Feige said. "Scarlett is one of the most talented, versatile and beloved actors of our time. It has truly been a pleasure to work with someone of her caliber. From those epic training sessions preparing for the hallway fight in Iron Man 2, to the around the world press tour in Avengers: Endgame to partnering with you as a producer on Black Widow, working with you Scarlett has truly been one of the most memorable and rewarding collaborations of my career."
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