Scarlett Johansson, in a recent interview with The New York Times, expressed her lack of animosity towards Disney following their legal dispute over the release of her Marvel film “Black Widow.” The conflict arose when Disney opted to release the movie simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access in July 2021, a move that Johansson contended breached her contract, which stipulated an exclusive theatrical release and potentially cost her millions in backend compensation.
“I don’t hold a grudge,” Johansson stated. “I think it was just poor judgment and poor leadership at that time. It just felt very unprofessional to me, the entire ordeal. And honestly, I was incredibly disappointed, especially because I was holding out hope until, finally, my team was like, ‘You have to act.’”
The legal battle intensified after Disney responded to Johansson’s lawsuit by revealing her $20 million salary for “Black Widow” and criticized her for lacking consideration for the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier, in an interview with Variety, Johansson had described her feelings during the dispute as predominantly sadness. “It was such a surreal moment because we were all isolated and just sort of emerging a little bit,” she reflected. “I was also really heavily pregnant, too, which in a weird way was amazing timing.”
Despite her reconciliation with Disney, Johansson found herself embroiled in another public dispute involving OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this year. This conflict arose when OpenAI introduced “Sky,” a voice for its ChatGPT model that some felt resembled Johansson’s voice work in the film “Her.” Johansson vehemently opposed this use, stating she had declined OpenAI’s initial offer to voice their system and was shocked and angered to find her voice replicated without her consent.
Johansson recounted how Altman had approached her again in 2023 about providing her voice for ChatGPT 4.0, which she declined for personal and ethical reasons. Despite this refusal, OpenAI proceeded with another actress using a similar voice, prompting Johansson to take legal action to have “Sky” removed.
Reflecting on the broader implications of AI technology and deepfakes, Johansson described it as a “dark wormhole” that can devastate lives. “Once you try to take something down in one area, it pops up somewhere else,” she warned, emphasizing the rapid advancement of technology and its impact on privacy and personal security.
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Amid promoting her romantic-comedy “Fly Me to the Moon” and filming the next “Jurassic World” installment in Thailand, Johansson continues to navigate her career while advocating for ethical considerations in the evolving landscape of digital media.
