Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner say sorry for calling Black Widow a 'whore'
WARNING: This story contains coarse language
Avengers: Age of Ultron stars Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner are backpedalling Thursday after calling co-star Scarlett Johansson's character a "whore" during an interview with the British media.
On Wednesday, the pair were being interviewed by Digital Spy during the London press tour for the superhero movie, when they ask to characterize Black Widow's multiple relationships.
- Can't see the video? Watch it here.
"She's a slut," said Renner, inspiring an explosion of laughter from Evans.
"A complete whore," Evans added, slapping his knee.
But many fans weren't laughing when they saw the video.
'Ingrained sexist attitudes'
"The Renner/Evans video clip is evidence of how deeply ingrained sexist attitudes are in our culture and how oblivious men can be to that," said one fan. Another called it an irritating and disappointing "example of dude-bro culture".
"Yesterday we were asked about the rumours that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America," the pair said in a joint statement published in Variety. "We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize."
"I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone," Renner added. "It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour."
The controversial comments were not the only hiccup on the Avengers: Age of Ultron tour.
Robert Downey Jr. made headlines for walking out of an interview with a Channel 4 News journalist who asked the Iron Man actor some personal questions.
The highly anticipated Hollywood movie also stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Avengers: Age of Ultron goes into wide release on May 1.