During an interview with Digital Spy, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner stirred up a bit of trouble for themselves by referring to female character Natasha Romanoff — or Black Widow — as a “slut” and a “whore”. The biggest issue, of course, being that Romanoff is the film’s most prominent female character. Not that it makes things any better if she hadn’t been.
Hopefully you know by now that Evans plays Captain America, and Renner plays Hawkeye in Marvel’s films.
What Did They Say Exactly?
During the interview – which is embed below – the pair was asked their opinion on Romanoff’s romance with Bruce Banner/Hulk in Age of Ultron. If you remember from the previous films, Romanoff seemed to flirt with both Captain America and Hawkeye at different times. This led fans to believe that she would end up with one of them romantically, and many enjoyed speculating on who would be the lucky guy.
After being asked, Renner blurted out “She’s a slut”. Then he and Evans shared a laugh, before Evans mentioned he was going to say “something along that line.” Evans, closed out the deal with “She’s a complete whore.”
Why Would They Say Something Like That?
It’s obvious they were joking, distasteful or not, but that doesn’t excuse what they said. It doesn’t come as a surprise that several viewers lashed out calling their comments “misogynistic” and “tasteless”.
While others took the time to defend the pair.
Did They Apologize for What They Said?
After the backlash, Renner and Evans both released statements apologizing for their actions.
Chris Evans said:
“Yesterday we were asked about the rumours that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America. We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.”
Jeremy Renner released this statement:
“I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour.”
Naturally, people were even more upset that Renner’s apology seemed insincere.
As you’d expect, there were others that commended both Evans and Renner for apologizing in the first place. While I don’t agree with their comments — which were wholly inappropriate — I do feel their apologies were sufficient. People make mistakes, dumb or not, and these guys were man enough to own up and apologize. Renner certainly could have been a bit less curt with his apology though.
What Do You Think?
Instead of leaving it to one side or the other, I’d like to open up a discussion and hear what you think about the situation. Please don’t spread hate and vitriol, let’s keep the discussion fair.
Do you feel that Evans and Renner owed fans an apology? How do you feel about the way they handled things?
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