BOOM May2015 | Page 21

REPORT ‘Avengers’ stars Evans, Renner apologize for Black Widow comments A ctors Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner apologized on Thursday for making "tasteless" and "juvenile" comments in which they called their Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson's superhero character "a slut."Evans, who plays Captain America in Walt Disney Co's Marvel "Avengers: Age of Ultron," said he and Renner were asked about rumors that Johansson's Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with their characters."We answered in a juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans," he said. "I regret it and sincerely apologize."Renner, who plays superhero Hawkeye, added, "I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be seri- ous in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour."The two actors are currently on the European leg of a global promotional tour for the new "Avengers" film. They made the comments in London in a video interview with the online entertainment outlet Digital Spy, when asked about Black Widow's romance with The Hulk in the film."She's a slut," Renner responded in a deadpan manner, as Evans burst out laughing and added "I was going to say something along that line. Complete whore. She's a slut."Avengers: Age of Ultron is the sequel to 2012's Avengers, the thirdhighest-grossing movie of all time, and is expected to be the biggest blockbuster film of summer 2015. 21 | BOOM