Scarlett Johansson claims movie industry is being “muzzled” by “big tech guys”
In a new interview, Scarlett Johansson discussed how the “big tech guys” funding the film industry have “muzzled” the creative expression allowed in mainstream projects.
The Marriage Story actor first discussed the declining anti-Trump sentiment in Hollywood in an interview with Vanity Fair. Half a decade ago, there was strong resistance to the new President of the United States, and Johansson put the change down to the new gatekeepers of Hollywood.
In response, Johansson noted that many people who fund the film industry also attended Trump’s inauguration. “These are people that are funding studios. It’s all these big tech guys that are funding our industry, and funding the Oscars.”
The HER star continued, “I guess we’re being muzzled in all these different ways, because the truth is that these big tech companies are completely enmeshed in all aspects of our lives.” However, Johansson quickly admitted that she doesn’t “know how you fight that.”
Johansson has had a run-in with “tech guys” in the past. In 2024, Johansson was contacted by OpenAI founder Sam Altman to voice a character for OpenAI, but refused to do so. Yet, the star said, “Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named ‘Sky’ sounded like me.”
She continued: “When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference.” Altman denied recreating her voice but did pause the system in response.
The star has previously said that she feels alone in her fight against AI, after a fake video of her went viral. In the video, she gave Kanye West the middle finger. She later stressed, “There has to be some agreed-upon set of boundaries in order for [AI] to not be detrimental.”
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