Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson who is popularly known for playing the character of 'Black Widow' on Marvel Movies, just celebrated almost three decades in the entertainment industry, the actress believes her Disney lawsuit created a positive influence in the industry and for artists.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the 35th annual American Cinematheque tribute in her honour on Thursday, the actor talked about the lawsuit, which the studio and Johansson, settled later.
The tribute saw colleagues, co-stars, and collaborators like Jon Favreau, Marvel chief Kevin Feige, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Samuel L Jackson, Jeremy Renner, and others celebrate Johansson’s diverse career.
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Feige even tease from the stage that they are partnered on “another non-Black Widow-related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer.” When questioned about the lawsuit where the actor claimed Disney of breach of contract when the studio opted to release the Marvel title day-and-date in theatres and on its streaming platform Disney+, Johansson said it was not an easy decision. “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,” said the actor, who welcomed a son four months ago with husband Colin Jost.
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Johansson, who also has a 7-year-old daughter from a former marriage, said the birth of her son kind of ‘buoyed’ her 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.” Terms of the settlement were not revealed but the lawsuit had become sour with both the parties exchanging strong public statements but at the time of the deal, the actor said she was looking forward to “continuing our collaboration in years to come”. Feige, who was there to commemorate Johansson’s accomplishment, called her ”one of the most talented, versatile and beloved actors of our time’.
“We are already working with Scarlett on another non-Black Widow-related top-secret Marvel Studios project with her as a producer,” he said. “…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.”
