Scarlett Johansson has opened up about her landmark lawsuit against Disney, revealing she found her pregnancy a ‘wonderful distraction’ amid the legal battle.
The actress, 38, welcomed son Cosmo with husband Colin Jost in August 2021, two months before she settled out of court with the entertainment company.
Scarlett had filed the suit in July after Black Widow was released on streaming service Disney+ at the same time as its debut in theatres, with the actress claiming she had lost out on more $50 million.
She alleged she had been guaranteed that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release, and that the bulk of her salary was based on the box office performance, but Disney countered that she was paid $20 million for the film regardless.
After a shocking statement in response to the suit which criticised Scarlett for her ‘callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic’, the matter was resolved outside of court.
Although the terms of their deal were never publicly revealed, it has been reported that the actress received more than $40 million.
Now, in a candid new interview with Variety, Scarlett spoke out about the affect the lawsuit had on her, saying: ‘I was sad and disappointed. But mostly sad.’
Yet she revealed the timing of the lawsuit was ‘amazing’ because she was focused on the fact she was expecting her second child.
She explained: ‘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.’
After the lawsuit was brought, the actress received a lot of support from fans, who often approached her to congratulate her for standing up for herself.
Since, her films have also seen her become Hollywood’s highest-grossing star, male or female, netting a total of $14.52 billion worldwide and counting.
Disney and Scarlett are now on good terms and she visits the theme park in Florida around 10 times a year.
She is also working on the planned Tower Of Terror ride with the company and is a big Disney film fan.
Elsewhere, Scarlett spoke out about pay disparity in Hollywood, a culture which usually sees men earn more than women.
However, the actress revealed that she managed to lobby to be paid the same salary as her male Avengers co-stars.
She said: ‘That has always been such an important point for my mom. It was like, You should be making the same amount of money for similar screen time or effort. You have value. It was a given in our household that there be fairness.’
It comes after Scarlett admitted that she almost gave up acting after losing out on a dream role that went to Sandra Bullock.
In a candid new interview, the actress, 38, opened up on battling feelings of inadequacy after being rejected for major roles she’d auditioned for.
And after initially losing out on the part of Black Widow, which was originally offered to Emily Blunt, Scarlett told how she went on to feel ‘hopeless’ after then being overlooked for a role in Gravity.
That part went to Sandra Bullock, 58, who starred in the 2013 sci-fi film alongside George Clooney, 62, and saw her go on to be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTAs.
Scarlett said that particular rejection ‘was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back’ as it made her reconsider her future in the film industry.
