Elizabeth Olsen has spoken out in support of her Marvel co-star Scarlett Johansson in her lawsuit against Disney.
It was announced last month that Johansson is initiating legal proceedings against the company. In her complaint, the actor alleges that the simultaneous release of Black Widow on Disney Plus and cinemas violated her contract.
The filing, which was reviewed by The Independent, alleged that Johansson’s compensation for the movie was “largely based” on Black Widow’s box office performance, which was substantially lower than projected.
Olsen – who received an Emmy nomination for her role in Marvel’s first TV series WandaVision – has since voiced her support of Johansson in the actor’s legal battle against the company.
When asked about the lawsuit during a recent joint interview with Jason Sudeikis, Olsen told Vanity Fair: “I think she’s so tough and literally when I read [about the lawsuit] I was like, ‘Good for you Scarlett.’”
The 32-year-old continued: “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.”
Ted Lasso star Sudeikis agreed with Olsen, stating that the move “is appropriately bad-a** and on brand” for Johansson.
Olsen added that she is “worried about small movies getting the opportunity to be seen in theatres”.
Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch in WandaVision
“I like going to the movies and I don’t necessarily want to see only an Oscar contender or a blockbuster. I would like to see art films and art house theatre,” she said.
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“And so I do worry about that, and people having to keep these theatres alive. And I don’t know how financially that works for these theatres.”
While Sudeikis agreed that streaming services “can’t replicate” the communal experience of a cinema, the actor also stated that it is a matter of “balance”.
“I do think though, if we just use anecdotally, Kodachrome as an example, more people probably have seen it because it got on Netflix than they would have in the theatre,” he said. “And the more that happens, the better.
“So it’s like there is that reach that as long as those streaming sites are still paying to make those little movies, they have the opportunity to be seen. And so it is this balance.”
Kodachrome is the title of a 2017 Netflix drama that starred Sudeikis and Olsen together.
In the most recent development in Johansson’s ongoing legal battle against Disney, the company filed a motion to force the actor into a private arbitration.
In response, the Oscar-nominee’s lawyer accused Disney of a “misogynistic attack” on the star and “predictably trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration”.
