Entertainment
Scarlett Johansson slams Black Widow being ‘talked about like a piece of ass’ in Iron Man 2
Scarlett Johansson has blasted the sexualisation of her character Natasha Romanoff – aka the butt-kicking super spy Black Widow – in the second Iron Man film.
The star noted that Black Widow, who is due to star in her own spin-off film, has evolved over the years in line with her own personal evolution as an actor.
However looking back on when her character first appeared in the 2010 blockbuster, starring Robert Downey Jr as the titular hero, the Avengers star felt she was ‘talked about like a piece of ass’.
The 36-year-old, who is mum to daughter Rose, told Collider she is ‘in a different place in my life’ as a woman and that has been reflected in how the Russian spy is portrayed on the big screen.
‘All of that is related to that move away from the kind of hyper-sexualisation 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 sexualised, you know?’
Scarlett added she was ‘really talked about like she’s a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of ass, really.’
The Marriage Story star highlighted a scene where, after Natasha takes down Tony Stark’s hapless bodyguard Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) in a boxing ring, Tony Stark turns to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and says ‘I want one’.
Scarlett, who recently wed boyfriend Colin Jost, continued: ‘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.
‘It’s changing now. Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message, but it’s been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress.’
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