Women In Film Blasts Disney's Statement on Scarlett Johansson Lawsuit

Female-led organizations Times Up, ReFrame, and Women in Film have accused Disney of a "gendered character attack" on Scarlett Johansson amid the Black Widow lawsuit. Black Widow premiered on July 9 and started off strong, garnering $80 million domestically at the box office on opening weekend. However, in its second week, Black Widow faced a box office collapse, which some attribute to the film being released simultaneously on Disney+ and theatrically.

Recently, Johansson sued the Walt Disney Company, citing that their release of Black Widow on Disney+ was a breach of contract. Johansson asserted that her contract agreed on an exclusively theatrical release and that her salary was subsequently negotiated on anticipated box office earnings. Disney responded to Johansson's lawsuit in a biting statement that dismissed her claims as "sad and distressing" and accused her of being unsympathetic towards the devastation of the pandemic. Now, Johansson is receiving support as others speak out against Disney's harsh remarks towards her.

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As reported by THR, Times Up, ReFrame, and Women in Film released a joint statement slamming Disney for their response to Johansson's Black Widow lawsuit. The organizations chose not to comment on their own positions regarding the lawsuit, but instead focused on Disney's remarks against Johansson. They blasted Disney's response as a "gendered character attack" on Johansson that painted her as selfish and that contributes to an environment where women are criticized for defending their own interests. Check out their statement below:

While we take no position on the business issues in the litigation between Scarlett Johansson and the Walt Disney Company, we stand firmly against Disney’s recent statement which attempts to characterize Johansson as insensitive or selfish for defending her contractual business rights. This gendered character attack has no place in a business dispute and contributes to an environment in which women and girls are perceived as less able than men to protect their own interests without facing ad hominem criticism.

The organizations echo the sentiments of Johansson's agent's response to Disney's statement. Her team described Disney's statement as an "attack" that utilized Johansson's salary and the pandemic to paint a false narrative that brought the actress's character into question. However, the women-led organizations drove the point home when they pointed to the ad hominem criticism that women face. When women attempt to protect their own interests, it is their character that is generally attacked instead of their position. Indeed, Disney's statement did little to explain the legalities of the lawsuit, but did much to criticize Johansson for the mere act of filing the lawsuit.

While it is difficult to measure the merit of the actual lawsuit, no one should be attacked because they choose to speak out against a perceived violation. Johansson has worked with Disney for over a decade portraying Black Widow and it isn't likely that she took her lawsuit lightly. Even if Johansson did walk away with $20 million, that doesn't simply erase the wrongfulness of Disney allegedly costing her $50 million. It isn't so much about the dollar amount as it is about the necessity of protecting something that is rightfully owed to you. Disney may have knowingly violated a business contract and it is the duty of a civilian to speak out against such unlawful actions. The criticism Johansson has faced for filing the Black Widow lawsuit is distressing and it illustrates the need to foster an environment where women and girls are able protest any perceived wrong against them without fear of personal attacks on their character.

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Source: THR

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August 02, 2021 at 12:17AM