Scarlett Johansson Slams James Franco Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Scarlett Johansson isn’t staying quiet or diplomatic over the sexual misconduct allegations against James Franco. The Avengers star spoke at the Los Angeles Women’s March per USA Today and had some harsh words for 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?” Johansson, a founding member of and donor to the Time’s Up movement that is dedicated to confronting abuse of power and promoting both racial and gender equality in the workplace. She added, “I want my pin back, by the way.”

Johansson is referring to the Time’s Up pin that Franco word at the Golden Globes, days before an LA Times report saw five women come forward accusing him of engaging in predatory and inappropriate sexual behavior. Four of the accusers were former students of his, and the fifth was a filmmaker who referred to him as her mentor.

Franco has denied the allegations and skipped attending the Critics’ Choice Awards. He won Best Actor at the ceremony for The Disaster Artist.

Johansson also discussed her own experiences as a woman in the industry when she was younger, saying, “Suddenly I was nineteen again 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. I had many relationships both personal and professional where the power dynamic was so off that I had to create a narrative that I was the cool girl who could hang in and hang out, and that sometimes meant compromising what felt right for me.”

She continued, “No more pandering. No more feeling guilty about hurting someone’s feelings when something doesn’t feel right for me. I have made a promise to myself to be responsible to myself, that in order to trust my instincts I must first respect them.”