A-list actress Scarlett Johansson — who has an estimated net worth of $165
million and topped the Forbes list of highest-paid actresses in 2019 —
complained that women are underpaid in Hollywood, and that she is “still
fighting that damn fight” to get paid what she is worth.
“As a
woman, you have to be [your own ally] all the time, because we are
underminded[sic], and underserved, and under-appreciated, and underpaid —
you have to be your own ally,” Johansson said in a recent interview with
Glamour Magazine.
The Black Widow star went on to say that her mother “instilled
that in me from when I was really, really young, because of course she
experienced it even more severely than I did, and equal pay is a huge part
of that fight.”
“Even when I was a teenager in the industry or a
young woman, I should say, my mom would have those conversations, like, ‘Why
is she not getting (paid the same)?'” the actress added.
One
reason for a pay variation between male and female actors, however, could be
explained by male-led films outperforming their female-led counterparts at
the box office — a concept that Scarlett Johansson disregarded, and instead,
blamed on “sexism.” It echos her criticism of Marvel Studios, suggesting
last month that the Disney-owned studio was sexist in the way it portrayed
her character, Natasha Romanoff, in the 2010 film Iron Man 2, stating that
the fictional character was treated “like a piece of ass.”
“There was always these, like, these little key terms, like,
‘bankability,’ and ‘box office draw,’ and those are all terms that are
basically masquerading as s*xism,” she told Glamour.
“It never
had anything to do with those things,” Johansson insisted. “And if there
ever was, it was also part of the systemic issue that a woman could not be
as bankable or have a box office draw. ”
The actress then
reiterated that her mom “refused that, and instilled in me, ‘No, you have to
fight that. You’re desirable because of your work, and that’s where your
value is. It’s in your talent, and it has nothing to do with your gender,
and don’t let anybody make you feel that way.'”
Johansson concluded by claiming that she is still in a
“constant fight” to get paid what she is worth.
“It’s a constant
fight,” she said. “I’m still fighting that damn fight. We all are.”