Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson in a still from The Avengers.
superhero actors Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans apologized on April 23 for calling co-star Scarlett Johansson's character in the blockbuster movie a "slut," saying it was just a tasteless joke.
Jeremy, who reprises his role as Hawkeye in the sequel
Avengers: Age of Ultron, made the offending comment in a TV interview alongside fellow superhero star Chris, who plays the role of Captain America. (Also Read:
What to Expect From Avengers: Age of Ultron)
An interviewer asked them what they thought about Sacrlet's character, Black Widow, opting not to get together romantically with either of them.
"She's a slut!" Jeremy told the Digital Spy interviewer, triggering huge guffaws from Chris, who added, "I was going to say something along that line. A complete whore." (Also Read:
Avenger Scarlett Johansson Says a Black Widow Movie Would be 'Cool')
Social media, perhaps inevitably, went ballistic, and on April 23 Jeremy's publicist issued an apology on his behalf, saying the actor was simply exhausted from the slog of promoting the new movie. (Also Read:
Avengers: Age of Ultron's Alleged Post-Credit Scene Appears Online)
"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," he said.
Chris' representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in a statement to Entertainment Weekly he said, "We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize."
The original 2012
The Avengers became the third-highest grossing movie in cinema history, taking more than US$1.5 billion at the box office, only beaten by
Avatar (2009) and
Titanic (1997).
Avengers: Age of Ultron comes out in the United States on May 1, one week after its release in India on April 24.