Scarlett Johansson discusses eliminating Black Widow’s ‘hyper-sexualized’ tone

Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson spoke about her iconic portrayal as Black Widow in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

During an interview with Collider, the 36-year-old admitted that her character of Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow was widely sexualized initially and how she worked to diminish that image.

"It definitely has changed and I think part of that change ... is actually from me too,” said Johansson.

"I'm a mom and my life is different. Obviously, 10 years have passed and things have happened and I have a much different, more evolved understanding of myself. As a woman, I'm in a different place in my life,” she shared.

Her character was initially introduced in the MCU as the eye candy assistant of Tony Stark aka Iron Man in Iron Man 2.

Looking back at her early days of playing the Avenger, Johansson admitted that the role was “hyper-sexualized.”

"[She's] really talked about like she's a piece of something, like a possession or a thing or whatever — like a piece of [expletive], really. And Tony even refers to her as something like that at one point,” she said.

“Maybe at that time that actually felt like a compliment. You know what I mean? Because my thinking was different,” she said about the dialogue, adding that her "own self-worth was probably measured against that type of comment."

"Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message. It's been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress; evolve. I think it's pretty cool,” she added.