“it is spoken of as if it were a thing”
Scarlett Johansson is well known for her work in the world of cinema. Throughout her 27-year career, she has played various characters, but without a doubt Black Widow, a heroine of the Marvel universe, is one of her most emblematic interpretations.
Johansson first appeared as 'Natasha Romanov' in 2010, in the Iron man 2 film. From there she became a main character in the Avengers and Marvel franchise. However, this is precisely the appearance that the actress has criticized recently, for having "hypers-xualized" her character.
“While [Iron Man 2] was really fun and had a lot of great moments, the character is so s-xualized, you know? She's really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing, or whatever, like a piece of butt, actually. And Tony even refers to her like that at one point... 'I want some,'" the actress explained to Collider.
The particular scene that Johansson refers to is when her character (under the alias Natalie Rushman) meets Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). He flips through a series of photos of her, including one in which Natalie is shown in lingerie, and Stark tells his assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), "I want one."
Additionally, Potts reportedly referred to Rushman as "a very expensive s-xual harassment lawsuit if you keep eating her up with her eyes."
The actress admitted that she felt like a compliment at the time, because of the way she thought. She was only between 25 and 26 years old, and her own self-esteem "was probably measured by that kind of comment." But she indicated that she had eventually understood her self-esteem and she had become more confident, like many young women.
"Young girls are getting a much more positive message. It's been amazing to be a part of that change and to be able to come out the other side," Johansson said.
For her, the character has taken an important leap to what she is now and she feels comfortable with the new Black Widow, "away from that kind of hypers-xualization", which is presented in the solo film, co-starring Florence Pugh and directed by Kate Shortland.
“I am a mother and my life is different. Obviously 10 years have passed and things have happened and I have a very different and more evolved understanding of myself. As a woman, I am in a different place in my life,” she expressed.
