Scarlett Johansson threatens to sue Cosmopolitan over quotes

by Dan Leahul, Brand Republic 16-Dec-08, 09:15

LONDON - Scarlett Johansson is threatening to sue the UK edition of Cosmopolitan after the magazine ran a cover story that the actress claims included fabricated quotes about her recent marriage.

Johansson appears on the cover of the January issue of Cosmopolitan UK under the title 'Scarlett: Why I HAD to get married!'. Inside, a four-page article offers revealing quotes from the typically private actress about her marriage to actor Ryan Reynolds.

The article uses quotes from a number of sources, including several from an interview Johansson gave with the US edition of Cosmopolitan in August, prior to her engagement.

Johansson's publicist Marcel Pariseau called the quotes "wholly fabricated" and "an obvious attempt by UK Cosmopolitan to gain monetarily by misinforming their readers."

Pariseau said that Johansson has at no point granted UK Cosmopolitan an interview, and she has never discussed her personal relationships with the publication.

Johansson is prepared to sue the magazine if the story is not retracted.

Cosmopolitan's UK edition is published by The National Magazine Company, which is owned by US magazine giant Hearst Corporation, the publisher of Cosmopolitan USA.

The National Magazine Company said it was investigating the source of the disputed quotes, which were bought from a freelance journalist through a London-based media agency.

Cosmopolitan, in a statement, said: "UK Cosmopolitan printed an interview with Scarlett Johansson that included quotes from an agency journalist regarding the actress's marriage.

"We ran these quotes in good faith with the understanding that the interview was carried out with the approval of Ms Johansson and her publicist.

"UK Cosmopolitan is taking the complaints by Ms Johansson's publicist seriously and is investigating the matter further."