Scarlett Johansson Was ‘Sad And Disappointed’ With Disney’s Response To Her ‘Black Widow’ Lawsuit
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Scarlett Johansson still has a lot of love for Disney, though.
This week, the “Asteroid City” star is on the new cover of Variety, and in the issue she opens up about the Disney’s response when she filed her lawsuit against the studio.
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After she filed her suit in 2021, alleging that Disney’s move to release “Black Widow” on Disney+ on the same day it hit theatres during the pandemic cost her millions in backend payments.
“There is no merit whatsoever to this filing,” Disney responded at the time. “The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The fiery response from the studio surprised many industry watchers, though the two parties eventually settled out of court.
“I was sad and disappointed. But mostly sad,” Johansson says now of the studio’s response. “It was such a surreal moment because we were all isolated and just sort of emerging a little bit. I was also really heavily pregnant, too, which in a weird way was amazing timing. Suddenly, your entire attention is drawn to this miracle of life. So, I had the most wonderful distraction in the world and soon after had a beautiful baby.”
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Looking back on that time, though, Johansson recalls getting a lot of public support for her stance.
“I couldn’t even walk through a restaurant without somebody saying, ‘Good for you. Stand up for yourself,’” she says. “I could see that it had a bigger impact. I got support from strangers that have no skin in the game at all.”
Despite it all, Johansson still considers herself a big Disney fan.
“We had annual passes to Disney World, and I have a real passion for the Disney parks,” she says. “Also, when I was growing up, it was a great time for Disney animation — ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Lion King’ with the incredible soundtrack.Like, I will be pre-buying tickets to ‘The Little Mermaid.’”
