The second, nationwide Women’s March took place on Saturday amid the government shutdown and saw the return of Scarlett Johansson, who voiced support last year for Planned Parenthood, in Los Angeles. This year, the highest grossing actress of all time’s speech revolved around the Time’s Up movement. More specifically, she took aim at what she views as James Franco’s hypocrisy in wearing a Time’s Up pin while accepting a Golden Globe.
Johansson never specifically utters Franco’s name during her fiery speech, but it’s clear who she’s talking about, and her reps later confirmed that her words were directed at Franco:
“How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault while privately preying on people who have no power? … I want my pin back, by the way.”
Johansson was one of the 300 Hollywood women who signed the Time’s Up coalition’s open letter addressing rampant sexual harassment and systemic inequality rampant throughout workplaces. Her fury towards Franco revolves around his well-documented, Instagram-based flirtation with a 17-year-old girl in 2014. In the wake of his Globes win, Franco was also accused of inappropriate behavior by several women, which led to the actor answering uncomfortable questions on the late-night talk show circuit while promoting The Disaster Artist.
In contrast, Johansson was anything but uncomfortable while addressing her own experiences with power imbalances. “Suddenly I was 19 again,” she said. “And I began to remember all the men who had taken advantage of the fact that I was a young woman who didn’t yet have the tools to say no, or understand the value of my own self-worth.” She then declared an end to “pandering” and feeling guilty about being considered difficult or making someone feel bad by saying no. It’s a speech that won’t soon be forgotten.
(Via LA Times)