Jamie Lee Curtis Says Don’t F**k With ScarJo Amidst Black Widow Lawsuit
Jamie Lee Curtis says that Scarlett Johansson is not to be f**ked with amidst her Black Widow lawsuit against Disney, as well as in general. Johansson's lawsuit alleges that the simultaneous release of the Marvel film theatrically and on Disney+ Premier Access without a renegotiation of her contract cost her substantial financial gains. Disney decided to test the waters with Black Widow in doing the simultaneous release, which arguably cost the movie to underperform at the box office (in comparison to other Marvel films), making her back-end deal on theatrical performance significantly lower. The movie opened at $80 million domestically and has thus far earned $372 million globally. By comparison, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings debuted at $75 million and has already earned $262 million globally after two weeks of release, with the theatrical window still open.
Curtis is a renowned actress in her own right, being one of the original "scream queens" from the '70s and '80s and later starring in a number of high-profile projects throughout the years, such as James Cameron's True Lies, Halloween H20, Rian Johnson's Knives Out and the latest series of sequels to the Halloween franchise. The daughter of famous Hitchcock actress, Janet Leigh, and actor Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis has worked steadily in film since playing the role of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's original Halloween in 1978. Curtis is also a popular children's book author, having written a number of them since 1993.
In a piece on the 100 Most Influential People of 2021 for Time Magazine, Curtis was tasked with writing a piece on actress Scarlett Johansson, where she fiercely defends the Black Widow star, pulling no punches in saying, "Don’t f-ck with this mama bear." Curtis elaborates on Johansson's situation, equating it to the narrative in the Black Widow film, in which Natasha Romanoff must fight against a manipulative male in power (Ray Winstone's Dreykov). This is likened to the "real-life manipulation" that Johansson has suffered under Disney, with Curtis comparing it to another man in power, which suggests Disney CEO Bob Chapek. Read a part of Curtis' write up below:
I recently watched her own the screen as the Black Widow, who exacts revenge on a powerful figure who manipulates (emphasis on man) women to fight for him. And then I saw her brilliant response to a real-life manipulation (same emphasis), when she filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against the studio, alleging its decision to release the film simultaneously in theaters and on streaming cost her substantial losses in pay.
Whether as an assassin with a conscience, an actor with an emotional center or, having just given birth to her second child, a fierce mother, the message is clear: Don’t f-ck with this mama bear.
Curtis is currently making the promotional rounds for the latest sequel to the Halloween franchise, Halloween Kills, which is once again directed by David Gordon Green. She will film another chapter in that saga, Halloween Ends, which is expected to close out the franchise in 2022. In addition, the actress is also starring in Eli Roth's video game adaptation of Borderlands. Johansson, meanwhile, is moving on from the MCU and into Wes Anderson's untitled next film, as well as the drama Bride from director Sebastián Lelio.
Many celebrities have come to the defense of Johansson amidst her Black Widow lawsuit with Disney, one of the first being her Marvel co-star Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch in the MCU. While most celebrities and creatives have had to deal with the fallout of the pandemic in terms of how it affects their work being presented, it does seem like Johansson's lawsuit is the catalyst that has altered future deals forever, including Cruella star Emma Stone, who negotiated for her return for a sequel after the lawsuit was announced and with it in mind. Deals all over Hollywood are now being altered as well, including more stars receiving a higher up-front fee for streaming projects, seeing as there is no theatrical back-end to negotiate for. With streaming seemingly going nowhere, this new business model is one that's surely here to stay and Johansson's lawsuit will forever be known as the one that helped launch the change.
Source: Time