Scarlett Johansson Speaks Out on Her Black Widow Lawsuit With Disney: "Know Your Worth"

By Jamie Jirak

After the release of Black Widow this summer, Scarlett Johansson ended up suing Disney. Johansson claimed the company breached their contract by releasing the movie on Disney+. Disney originally shot back with claims that Johansson was pulling a "highly orchestrated" PR stunt, but the star ended up getting a lot of support from her peers in the industry, and ultimately the suit was settled in September. It appears all is well between Johansson and Disney, who still plan to work together on the upcoming Tower of Terror movie as well as a top-secret Marvel project. Recently, Johansson spoke with The Associated Press on the red carpet for the American Cinematheque tribute in her honor, and she was asked about the lawsuit. 

"I think it's important in general to know your own worth and stand up for yourself, and I think, you know, in this industry, I've been working for such a long time. It's been almost 30 years and so I've seen ... there's so much that has shifted over those 30 years,"  Johansson explained. She added that in the past she may have been worried about being "blacklisted," but "thankfully that's changing in the zeitgeist." You can watch her full reply in the tweet below:

Johansson also spoke with The Hollywood Reporter event and said she hopes the lawsuit will have a lasting impact on the industry.

"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 shared. "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 added. "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."

As for the news that Marvel is working on something new with Johansson, Kevin Feige recently shared that it's 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."

How do you feel about Johansson's recent statement? Tell us in the comments! 

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