Marvel’s Elizabeth Olsen praises Scarlett Johansson in legal battle with Disney

Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney over Black Widow has received support from fellow actor Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Olsen (who is currently starring in Marvel’s WandaVision series on Disney +) said that Johansson was “so tough” and “when I read [about the legal action] I was like, ‘good for you Scarlett’”. She added that “when it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that’s just, that’s just all contracts. So it’s either in the contract or it’s not.”

Johansson launched legal action against Disney in July, alleging that the studio breached her contract by making Black Widow available on its streaming service Disney+ at the same time as its cinema release. The suit claims that Johansson’s payment is linked to the film’s box office performance, and that Disney’s decision to opt for a “hybrid” release resulted in a lower fee than had been anticipated.

Disney denies it breached the agreement with Johansson, saying that her contract did not guarantee an “exclusive theatrical release”. Reports suggest that Johansson’s lawyers tried to renegotiate the contract after the release strategy was changed as a result of the Covid-related shutdown of cinemas.

Olsen’s fellow actor Jason Sudeikis, co-creator and star of streaming series Ted Lasso, also expressed his admiration for Johansson in the same interview, saying “it is appropriately bad-ass and on brand”.