Scarlett Johansson on Hollywood Pay Gap: ‘The Struggle Is Real’

Scarlett Johansson is taking the March cover of Marie Claire magazine. Inside, she discusses the gender gap and pay inequality in Hollywood.

She explains, “Just because I'm the top-grossing actress of all time does not mean I'm the highest paid. I've had to fight for everything that I have. It's such a fickle and political industry.”

She's been reluctant to speak about the gender pay gap in Hollywood, but is opening up now, saying, “Some people felt I should talk about my personal struggle in order to shed a spotlight on the greater issue. Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but I assumed it was obvious that women in all positions struggle for equality. It's always an uphill battle and fight."

The 32-year old added, "My experience with my close female friends and family is that the struggle is real for everybody. Everyone has been discriminated against or harassed — sexism is real.”

For her next film "Ghost in the Shell,” controversy has swirled regarding her casting as The Major, an Asian woman in the original manga. She told Marie Claire, “I certainly would never presume to play another race of a person. Diversity is important in Hollywood, and I would never want to feel like I was playing a character that was offensive. Also, having a franchise with a female protagonist driving it is such a rare opportunity. Certainly, I feel the enormous pressure of that — the weight of such a big property on my shoulders.”