Ever since men and women flooded the Golden Globes red carpet two weeks ago with signs of all-black sartorial solidarity and “Time’s Up” pins, there has been questions swirling around some of the men claiming to be allies of the movement against sexual misconduct. Actress Scarlett Johansson, giving her second barn-burning speech at a Women’s March in as many years, called out Globe winner James Franco on Saturday saying: “I want my pin back, by the way.”
In addition to winning a Golden Globe two weeks ago, Franco, who wore a Time’s Up pin while claiming his prize, also garnered a lot of attention thanks to some comments on social media during the ceremony including some pointed, since-deleted tweets from actress Ally Sheedy. A few days later, the L.A. Times printed a report of five women accusing Franco of sexual misconduct. Franco denied the allegations. The actor has now been publicly addressed by Johansson, one of the original signers of the Time’s Up announcement letter and a major donor to the cause.
Though she didn’t name him directly during her speech in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, a rep for Johansson later confirmed to the L.A. Times that the actress was indeed referring directly to Franco when she said: “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?” Pausing for effect, she then asked Franco for her pin back. Her comments start at the 1:25 mark.
Johansson posed further questions on much-debated topics such as abuses of power and what some deem grey areas of consent before saying she felt a “rage” bubbling up inside her on behalf of women who have been abused and also, she admitted, on behalf of herself.
Johansson then related her own personal experience: “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,” said Johansson who appeared in her first film at the age of 10. “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.”
“No more pandering,” Johansson concluded. “No more feeling guilty about hurting someone’s feelings when something doesn’t feel right for me,” she said. “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.”
