Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans apologized Thursday for comments they made in a promotional interview in which they called co-star Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character a “slut” and a “whore.”
In an interview about the upcoming film with UK entertainment news website Digital Spy, Renner and Evans responded to a question about a possible love triangle in the film between Renner’s Hawkeye character, Evans’ Captain America, and Johansson’s Black Widow.
“I was going to say something along that line… a complete whore” Evans added.
Social media users were quick to criticize the actors. According to E!, one user wrote: “If sexual promiscuity is truly immoral, by consistency and logic, men who are promiscuous should be hated as well. You cannot have the double standard. You can’t bash promiscuous women without doing the same to men. It is hypocritical and inconsistent.”
Both Renner and Evans issued statements Thursday apologizing for the remarks they made in the interview.
“Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America,” Evans said in his statement. “We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize.”
In his own statement, Renner said the remarks were a joke not meant to be taken seriously.
“I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone,” he said. “It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting a tedious press tour.”
The flap is just the latest in a seemingly troubled Avengers sequel press tour; Iron Man Robert Downey Jr. walked out of a promotional interview for the film after the interviewer began asking questions about the actor’s past struggles with drug abuse.
Avengers: Age of Ultron hits theaters May 1.