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Robert Downey Jr stepped in when reporter asked Scarlett Johansson question about her diet
Home>Film & TV>Marvel
Published 15:59 21 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Robert Downey Jr stepped in when reporter asked Scarlett Johansson question about her diet

Robert Downey Jr. jumped in for Scarlett Johansson when she was asked a personal diet question during an interview.

Mia Williams

Mia Williams

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Featured Image Credit: Digital Spy

Topics: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Avengers, Marvel

Mia Williams
Mia Williams

Mia is an NCTJ-trained journalist at UNILAD with a BA (Hons) in Multimedia Journalism, reporting across breaking news, US politics, entertainment, health, lifestyle, and more. Before joining as a journalist in 2026, she freelanced across the LADbible Group titles for over three years. She is also a documentary producer, having created independent films, and worked as a researcher on series including Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA.

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Robert Downey Jr. jumped in for Scarlett Johansson when she was asked a personal diet question during an interview, as opposed to the philosophical question he was asked.

It's not uncommon for celebrities to get asked about their personal life during interviews regarding their work - but what we do notice is the difference in questions that get asked to men and women.

Johansson became a household name thanks to her roles in the Marvel films, and played the character of Black Widow in The Avengers.

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Despite featuring in Marvel films since 2010, her portrayal of Black Widow has been overshadowed by her male co-stars, despite their close friendships.

During this particular promotional interview - believed to be from 2012 - Robert Downey Jr. was posed with a thought-provoking question about how he dealt with the shift of attitude of his character during The Avengers.

This was followed by a question put to Johansson about what her diet and training routine for delivering such a perfect figure and performance looked like.

Scarlett Johansson was asked a blatantly sexist question at a press conference for The Avengers.
Digital Spy

Before the star could respond to the extremely stereotypical question, Downey Jr jumped in and said: “If I have learned anything then it’s that people are much more interested in your second question to Scarlett than any answer to mine.”

She then took over and said: “I was just gonna say the very thing, that’s so funny. How come you get the really interesting existential question, and I get the rabbit food question?

“I don’t know… surely you know your training and doing all that stunt work and eating a lot of green things?”

Downey Jr's reaction simply reiterates the relationship that he has with his co-stars and we're definitely here for it.

Unbelievably, this wasn’t the first time that Johansson had been posed with a sexist question and called them out.

In 2012, a presenter asked her if she wore undergarments underneath her costume during an interview.

Robert Downey Jr stepped in and defended his co-star.
Jon Furniss/WireImage

To which she replied: “Since when did people start asking each other in interviews about their underwear?”

Trying to save his question, the reporter said: “Well it’s because it’s such a skin tight…” but Johansson interrupted: “I’ll leave it up to your imagination.

“Whatever you feel like I should be wearing or not wearing under that costume.”

When talking about her role in The Avengers, Johansson said: “When you're talking to Natasha, you're really getting Natasha.

“She's very straightforward, and I like that part of her.”

  • Robert Downey Jr. and Avengers cast once got matching tattoos
  • Robert Downey Jr. is confirmed to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • Robert Downey Jr. gave brutally honest answer when asked what he would be doing if not acting
  • Robert Downey Jr. faces major backlash after lavish perks and eye-watering payday for Marvel return are leaked

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