Elizabeth Olsen lends support to Scarlett Johansson in Disney lawsuit: 'It's either in the contract or it's not'

• Elizabeth Olsen called Scarlett Johansson "tough" in a new interview with Vanity Fair.
• Johansson is suing Disney over the release of "Black Widow," which she says breached her contract.
• Olsen starred as Scarlet Witch in Marvel's first Disney+ show, "WandaVision."

Elizabeth Olsen offered words of support for Scarlett Johansson amid her lawsuit against Disney in a joint interview with Jason Sudeikis for Vanity Fair.

Last month, Johansson filed a lawsuit against the entertainment giant alleging that the simultaneous release of "Black Widow" on Disney+ as well as theaters violated her contract and compromised her total box-office earnings.

Johansson's salary was largely based on box-office performance, and a copy of the lawsuit obtained by Insider claimed that Johansson's contract for "Black Widow" said the film would be an exclusive movie-theater release.

When asked about the lawsuit and the impact of the coronavirus on streaming, Olsen, who starred as Scarlet Witch in three "Avengers" movies, "Captain America Civil War," and Marvel's first Disney+ show, "WandaVision," told Vanity Fair that she was "worried" about the future of theaters and how they would survive if streaming became more popular.

As for the lawsuit, she said: "But when it comes to actors and their earnings, I mean, that's just, that's just all contracts. So it's either in the contract or it's not."

"I think she's so tough and literally when I read that I was like, 'Good for you, Scarlett.'" Olsen continued.

Sudeikis said he was "worried" about Johansson and described Colin Jost, her husband, as his "comedy brother."

"Well, I mean, it is appropriately badass and on-brand," he said.

A source told The Wall Street Journal in July that Johansson expected to miss out on more than $50 million because of the discrepancy; Disney previously said the film earned $60 million from streaming sales in its opening weekend. The theatrical release earned $158 million in its opening weekend.

An email included in the lawsuit indicates that Marvel's chief counsel, Dave Galluzzi, assured Johansson and her team in early 2019 that the film would have an exclusive theatrical release and Johansson would be consulted if those plans changed.

A company representative told Insider there was "no merit whatsoever" to Johansson's lawsuit and said the filing was "especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."

In early August, three of Hollywood's most prominent women's advocacy groups condemned Disney's response in a joint statement.

"While we take no position on the business issues in the litigation between Scarlett Johansson and The Walt Disney Company, we stand firmly against Disney's recent statement which attempts to characterize Johansson as insensitive or selfish for defending her contractual business rights," the statement said.