Actress Scarlett Johansson criticized the way Marvel “sexualized” her character “Natasha Romanoff,” also known as “Black Widow” in its 2010 film, saying that she was talked about “like a piece of ass.”
“All of that is related to that move away from the kind of hyper-sexualization of this character and, I mean, you look at Iron Man 2 and while it was really fun and had a lot of great moments in it, the character is so sexualized, you know?” the 36-year-old actress shared during her interview with Collider in a piece published Tuesday. (RELATED: Watch The Latest Electric Trailer For ‘Captain Marvel’)
“Really talked about like she’s a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of ass, really,” she added. “And [Tony Stark] even refers to her as something like that at one point… ‘I want some’ [says Stark] … and at one point calls her a piece of meat and maybe at that time that actually felt like a compliment.”
In a scene from the “Iron Man” sequel, Johansson’s character Romanoff spars in a boxing ring with Iron Man’s (Tony Stark’s) right hand man and takes him down very quickly, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
She then tells Stark she needs his fingerprint on a document, and as she walked away Stark tells his assistant he “wants one” as he watches Romanoff walk out of the room.
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“You know what I mean?” Johansson continued. “Because my thinking was different. Maybe I even would have, you know, my own self-worth was probably measured against that type of comment or, like a lot of young women, you come into your own and you understand your own self-worth.” (RELATED: Scarlett Johansson Under Fire For Plans To Play Trans Man In Upcoming Movie)
“The Avengers” star explained how now things are changing and young girls “are getting a much more positive message,” and how she’s been “part of that shift.”
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The “Black Widow” solo film comes out July 9 in theaters and Disney+.