Times Up, ReFrame and Women In Film issued a joint statement today. They support Scarlett Johansson and call her attempts to counter the recent lawsuit against Disney. Johansson claims that Disney violated her contract by simultaneously releasing Black Widow on Disney+ and in theaters. This could have an impact on her ability to make a profit. However, the groups strongly oppose the Disney response statement that tried to portray Johansson's complaint as greedy and insensitive.AdvertisementThe joint statement states that this gendered character attack is unacceptable in business disputes and creates an environment where women and girls feel less capable than men to defend their interests without being subject to ad hominem critique.The Disney response is both baffling, and quite shockingly personal. It calls the stars suit E particularly sad and distressing for its inability to pay attention to the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is clear that the company tried to capitalize on Johanssons reputation over the past few years to manage the optics. They even stated that Black Widow has earned $20 million. Is that not enough money for one person? This is an impressive claim, considering that it comes from Disney's all-consuming money maw.Yesterday, the Johanssons' side countered that claim. They claimed Disney was trying to exploit her success by disclosing her salary for spy thriller. Bryan Lourd, an agent for Johansson, stated that the company had included her salary in a press release in order to exploit her success as an artist/businesswoman. She called the statement an attack on Johanssons character. Bryan Lourd, the agent for Johansson claimed that the company included her salary in their press statement to try and weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman. She called it a direct attack on [Johanssons] character.Also, check for traffic as there are many burning bridges around the area today.[via Variety]
