Actress Scarlett Johansson speaks at a Women's March against sexual violence and the policies of the Trump administration Saturday. Photo / AP
Actress Scarlett Johansson speaks at a Women's March against sexual violence and the policies of the Trump administration Saturday. Photo / AP
James Franco is under fire yet again, after Scarlett Johansson blasted him for claiming to support the Time's Up Movement.
"My mind baffles. 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?' the Avengers star asked in a speech at the Women's March in Los Angeles.
"I want my pin back, by the way," she continued, referencing the Time's Up pin Franco wore at the Golden Globe Awards on January 7, inspiring his accusers to come forward charging him as a hypocrite.
Actress Scarlett Johansson, right, speaks as Mila Kunis holds a microphone for her at a Women's March against sexual violence and the policies of the Trump administration. Photo / AP
Johansson didn't refer to Franco by name in the speech, but one of her representatives later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that she was talking directly to the Disaster Artist actor, who has been publicly accused of sexual misconduct by five women. Franco has denied all of the allegations against him.
Johansson and Franco have never appeared together in a film in the past.
It was a stark change of tone for Johansson, who in years past defended Woody Allen after starring in three of his films: 2005's Match Point, 2006's Scoop, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2014.
"It's not like this is somebody that's been prosecuted and found guilty of something, and you can then go, 'I don't support this lifestyle or whatever.' I mean, it's all guesswork," Johansson told the Guardian in 2014, a month after Allen's estranged daughter Dylan Farrow penned an open letter accusing him of sexually abusing her.
"I don't know anything about it. It would be ridiculous for me to make any kind of assumption one way or the other," Johansson said.
In her speech, Johansson went on to describe her "rage" at recalling her own experiences as a young woman in Hollywood, after landing her first role at age 12.
"And suddenly I was 19 again, and I started to remember all the men I'd known who'd taken advantage of the fact that I was a young woman who didn't yet have the tools to say no, or to understand the value of my own self worth,' said Johansson, now 33.
"I'd 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.
She concluded by praising the "brightness of this movement, the strength and the unity that this movement has provided."
"It gives me hope that we are moving towards a place where our sense of equality can truly come from within ourselves," she said.
A total of five women have accused Franco of sexual misconduct or abuse of power, sharing their stories as part of the movement, including four student-actors he worked with at Studio 4 and Playhouse West.
Actor James Franco. Photo / AP
Through his attorney, Michael Plonsker, Franco has denied the allegations that emerged first on social media, and then later came out in more detail in an article by the Los Angeles Times published on January 11.
Four of the accusers are former acting students of 39-year-old Franco, and claim the Oscar nominee pressured women both on set and in class to perform topless or even completely nude.
The fifth woman said Franco was a mentor to her.
The accusations include Franco's alleged removal of plastic guards covering female actors' genitalia during simulated sex scenes and his becoming 'visibly angry' when females would not appear nude or topless.
"I feel there was an abuse of power, and there was a culture of exploiting non-celebrity women, and a culture of women being replaceable"' said Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of Franco's former acting students included in the piece by the Times.
Students from Studio 4 said there was a feeling that small parts would be made available only to those would agree to appear semi-nude or nude.
"[Franco] would always make everybody think there were possible roles on the table if we were to perform sexual acts or take off our shirts in his projects," Katie Ryan told the Times.
Studio 4 closed in the fall, before any of these allegations were brought to light.
Vince Jolivette, the co-owner of Rabbit Bandini which ran Studio 4, said in a statement provided by Franco's attorney that "the school was always run professionally"' that "instructors were excellent, [and] student feedback was positive."
The statement also added that these complaints are "very inconsistent with the mission" of the school, and are being investigated.
The allegations first started coming out on social media, after Franco wore a "Time's Up" pin at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards.
Johansson's remarks came as thousands of women marched on Washington to commemorate a year since the historic Women's March on January 21, a day after Trump's inauguration.
People gather for a Women's March in Los Angeles. Photo / AP
This year, the marches also take on the momentum of the Me Too and Time's Up movements against sexual misconduct which were sparked with allegations against Hollywood heavyweights.
The Time's Up movement was created by leaders in politics and the entertainment industry to support and help fund legal defense for people who have experienced inequity in the work place, across all industries.
Johansson is one of the original founders, and a major supporter to the cause.
The movement came about as a direct result of the #MeToo social media campaign, which was kicked off in October by reports of rampant sexual misconduct by entertainment mogul Harvey Weinstein.
#MeToo, which was first started offline more than a decade ago by Tarana Burke, inspired women from all walks of life across the US to share stories of sexual harassment, assault and abuses of power they experienced at the hands of men who had power over them.
After Franco spoke, Ally Sheedy of The Breakfast Club fame tweeted asking why Franco was "allowed in" to the awards show.
She also wrote:
"Please never ever ask me why I left the film/tv business."
Franco responded to the claims that came across Twitter feeds in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying:
"There were some things on Twitter... I haven't read them. I've heard about them," Franco said.
"First of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy. I directed her in a play off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her — total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset.
Scarlett Johansson has told James Franco she wants her Time's Up pin back. Photo / AP
"The others, in my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I've done. The things I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice, because they didn't have a voice for so long. So, I don't want to shut them down in any way. It's, I think, a good thing, and I support it."
Colbert then asked Franco if he had any insight on how people should reconcile differing recollections of past experiences that they were both involved in.
"The way I live my life, I can't live if there's restitution to be made, I will make it. So, if I've done something wrong, I will fix it. I have to," he said.
"As far as the bigger issues, you know, how we do it, I really don't have the answers, and I think the point of this whole thing is that we listen. There were incredible people talking that night. They had a lot to say, and I'm here to listen and learn and change my perspective where it's off. I'm completely willing, and I want to."
Standing up for women like those who shared their stories about Franco has now become part of Johansson's mission, as one of the signatories on the founding letter for Time's Up.
It's also personal for Johansson, she shared from the podium, while producer Deena Katz held her microphone.
Johansson said that as she heard more and more stories of women who had been taken advantage of, and had been unheard and unseen, she started to feel not only rage, but also sadness and guilt, for herself.
"Suddenly I was 19 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," Johansson said.
"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."
The Time's Up advocate said she has now come to her own reckoning.
"No more pandering," she said.
"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 my self, that in order to trust my instincts I must first respect them."
Johansson was one of dozens of celebrities who took part in Women's Marches around the country Saturday, the anniversary of the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Lesley Ann Warren and Gay Harden all joined Johansson in Los Angeles, while Jane Fonda, Chloe Moretz and Common marched in Park City, Utah, and Amy Schumer, Padma Lakshmi and Amber Tamblyn took to the streets of New York City.
As processions of pink, "pussy" hats and illustrations asking for Trump to be impeached made their way through the nation's many cities, Trump ignored their complaints about him and said: "Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all Women to March.
"Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months.
"Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!"
Actress Eva Longoria, center, speaks as she is joined by Natalie Portman, left, and Constance Wu at a Women's March. Photo / AP
This year, the marches also take on the momentum of the Me Too and Time's Up movements against sexual misconduct which were sparked with allegations against Hollywood heavyweights.
They also coincided with a government shutdown which went into place late on Friday night.
Some 250 cities around the world were planning to play host to some form of Women's March on Saturday.
In Park City, Utah, Jane Fonda led a snow-dusted march. A number of stars are in the winter resort for the annual Sundance Film Festival.
Fonda, 80, looked impassioned as she took the podium in a black hat, beige-and-grey coat, large scarf and pink gloves with several orange beaded bracelets.
She was joined by Chloe Moretz, who didn't let the snow bother her as she wore a heavy coat. She had on a knit cap too and a ring on her wedding finger with a B on it for Brooklyn Beckham.
Among them was lawyer Gloria Allred who delighted in joining the Hollywood crowd. She is the subject of a new Netflix documentary.
Actress Natalie Portman speaks as she is joined by Eva Longoria, background left, and Constance Wu at a Women's March against sexual violence and the policies of the Trump administration. Photo / AP
In New York City, Whoopi Goldberg was joined by Padma Lakshmi and Yoko Ono who invoked her late husband John Lennon's song on a sign which read: "Imagine peace.'"
Adele shared an image from the LA march with Jennifer Lawrence and Cameron Diaz.
She said: "The most influential people in my life have always been women. My family, my friends, my teachers, my colleagues, and my idols. I am obsessed with all the women in my life. I adore them and need them more and more every day. I am so grateful to be a woman, I wouldn't change it for the world. I hope I'm not only defined by my gender though. I hope I'm defined by my input to the world, my ability to love and to have empathy.
"To raise my son to be a good man alongside the good man who loves me for everything I am and am not. I want what's best for people, I think we all do. We just can't agree on what that is. Power to the peaceful, power to the people x #womensmarch2018."
Amy Schumer shared several Instagram photos from NYC.
"Today we march #timesup," she added.
On Saturday, Trump was stuck in Washington DC, grounded by the overnight government shutdown, and unable to fly to Mar-a-Lago to attend a celebratory anniversary party to which tickets were sold at US$100,000 each.
Actress Viola Davis speaks at a Women's March against sexual violence and the policies of the Trump administration. Photo / AP
Sources inside the White House said he was 'upset' he would likely miss the event which he was referring to as 'my party', according to The Daily Beast.
In Chicago, Viola Davis gave a rousing speech and in Rome, Asia Argento led a group of marchers through the city. Argento was the first woman to go on the record to accuse the disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of rape in October.
Countless women followed with claims against the 65-year-old.
Many of the protests were directed towards Trump's immigration policies and his plans for DACA which shut down the government on Friday night when Democrats refused to move forward with talks.
"People were pretty damn mad last year and they're pretty damn mad this year," said Tamika Mallory, co-president of the Women's March board.
Like last year, thousands of marchers donned pink knit "pussy hats", which were created last year after the president's infamous "grab them by the p***y'" hot mic remark was made public.
They became a symbol for the disdain thousands of women carried and still harbour against the president.
