SAG-AFTRA President Blasts Disney for `Bullying' Scarlett Johansson

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said Friday that executives at The Walt Disney Co. should be "ashamed of themselves" for their reaction to actress Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against the company for alleged breach of contract.

Johansson sued Disney on July 29, alleging the entertainment giant breached their contract by releasing her latest Marvel film "Black Widow" on the Disney+ streaming service despite assurances it would debut only in theaters.

Disney blasted the legal action, saying it showed "callous disregard" for the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her statement, Carteris said Disney resorted to "tired tactics of gender-shaming and bullying. Actors must be compensated for their work according to their contracts. Scarlett Johansson is shining a white-hot spotlight on the improper shifts in compensation that companies are attempting to slip by talent as distribution models change. Nobody in any field of work should fall victim to surprise reductions in expected compensation."

She said Disney and other content companies "are doing very well and can certainly live up to their obligations to compensate the performers whose art and artistry are responsible for the corporation's profits. Additionally, we are deeply concerned by the gendered tone of Disney's criticism of Ms. Johansson. Women are not `callous' when they stand up and fight for fair pay -- they are leaders and champions for economic justice. Women have been victimized by pay inequity for decades, and they have been further victimized by comments like those in Disney's press statements. These sorts of attacks have no place in our society and SAG-AFTRA will continue to defend our members from all forms of bias."

The lawsuit contends that Johansson structured her salary for "Black Widow" to be "based largely on `box office' receipts generated by the picture."

"To maximize these receipts and thereby protect her financial interests, Ms. Johansson extracted a promise from Marvel that the release of the picture would be a `theatrical release,"' the suit states. "... Disney was well aware of this promise, but nonetheless directed Marvel to violate its pledge and instead release the picture on the Disney+ streaming service the very same day it was released in movie theaters."

The suit contends the move was aimed at boosting interest in the Disney+ service while also allowing Disney to "keep the revenues for itself."

"Second, Disney wanted to substantially devalue Ms. Johansson's agreement and thereby enrich itself," the lawsuit states.

Disney said last week that the suit is without merit.

"The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic," according to Disney. "Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson's contract and furthermore, the release of `Black Widow' on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date."

The lawsuit contends that Johansson and Marvel Studios -- owned by Disney -- signed a contract for her to appear in "Black Widow," guaranteeing a "wide theatrical release" and ensuring the film "would remain exclusively in movie theaters for a period of between approximately 90 and 120 days." The deal, however, was finalized six months before the November 2019 launch of the Disney+ streaming service, the suit contends.

Ahead of that launch, Marvel confirmed to Johansson's representatives that "Black Widow" would be "widely theatrically released," the suit states. Despite those assurances, Disney announced in March 2021 that the film would be simultaneously released on the Disney+ Premier Access service, which provides access to films for $30.

"This was the direct result of Disney directing Marvel to ignore Ms. Johansson's agreement and/or overruling Marvel's wishes to comply with it," the suit states.

Despite objections from Johansson, the film was released in theaters and on Disney+ on July 9. The suit says the move "successfully pulled millions of fans away from the theaters and toward its Disney+ streaming service," substantially dropping the film's box office revenue.

"According to Disney's own self-congratulatory press release, the picture grossed more than $60 million on Disney+ Premier Access in its first weekend alone," the suit states.

The suit seeks unspecified monetary and punitive damages.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)